The Glitch in the System
by kairi's friend
Summary: Vanellope and Kairi keep having strange visions, and the surge protector locks himself away, trying to fix everything. Hannah wants to help them and Litwak – but her parents, who hate games, try to keep her from the arcade. But no one's prepared when Hannah and Vanellope switch places. Is this somehow tied to the glitch in the system?
1. The Businessman

**A/N: This is the sequel to "Connections." If you haven't read that story yet, you probably won't understand some things in this story. I recommend reading that one first. Though I'm continuing the story where "Connections" left off, there might be a few discontinuities, but I'll try my best to keep everything tied together. But I also hold the right to change things as needed in this story.**

****For those who don't know (or forgot), I will be playing the "phrase game" in this story. I basically hide a phrase relating to something or someone famous and put it in the chapter for people to find. I give hints, don't worry, which will come at the end of the chapter, and the answer will come in the next chapter.****

**And I'm saving all disclaimers until the credits chapter, but you should know who owns what. But I will claim Hannah's name, her parents, Litwak's first name, and all OCs. And the archiving code is mine. If you want to use it, ask me first. **Oh, and an "arcadian" is someone who lives inside the arcade.****

* * *

Hannah pedals harder, hoping to get to Litwak's Family Fun Center before it opens for the day. She rounds a corner and sees the arcade up ahead - with a black car in the parking lot parked far away from the other cars. A black car? Mr. Litwak doesn't own a black car, neither do any of the employees. And it's too early for any customers to be here. Why is that car farther away than the others? A game's not being taken away, is it? The thought makes her pedal even harder, screeching loudly to a stop at the bike rack. She nearly drops her bike lock as she rushes to take it out and lock up her bike, but finally it's done, and she hurries to the glass door, cups her hands around her eyes to see better inside. All the games are where they should be. So if the black car's not here for a game, then why is it here?

Something moves out of the corner of her eye. Hannah looks over at the consoles for Sugar Rush. Where the logo should be on one of the consoles is instead Vanellope von Schweetz with her face up against the screen. Her hazel eyes light up when she sees Hannah, and she points towards Litwak's office. Hannah moves, trying to see in that direction. The racer hurries away from the screen and the logo for Sugar Rush appears again. Hannah can kind of see a door open and two figures walking out - one of them Mr. Litwak!

He smiles when he sees her and goes over to the door. "Hey, Hannah," he says when he opens the door. "Come on in. How long have you been here?"

"A few minutes," she says, stepping eagerly inside.

"Sorry about that. I was just talking to-"

"You're letting in a minor," the other person interrupts, "without any other adults around?" Hannah thinks this other person looks like a stereotypical businessman: pristine black suit, a few small wrinkles around his gray eyes, and smoothed-back dark hair graying on the sides. He bends closer to Hannah, inspecting her as if she were an insect. "Do you often come by yourself?"

Already she doesn't like this guy. "Yeah, I bike here straight from school on weekdays and first thing on Saturdays."

The businessman straightens and clicks his pen, scribbling something down in a notebook he's carrying. "Do you work here?"

Still doesn't like him. "No."

He jots something else down. "And do your parents know where you are?"

"Of course they do."

Another jot.

"Mister Litwak," one of the employees says, coming from the back room. "We fixed the problem with the oven in the kitchen."

"Good job, Jason," Litwak says. After the boy leaves, he turns to the businessman and says, "If that's all you came down here to do, you may go. I have some work to do before the customers arrive."

He and the businessman glare at each other before the latter says, "Very well. You'll be hearing from us shortly."

Hannah waits until the businessman strides out the door and is halfway to the black car before asking, "Who was that guy?"

"Oh, don't you worry about him, sweetheart," he tells her, hands on his hips as he stares out the window at the man. "He's just trying to scare us."

"So, he's not here to take any games away?"

"No, nothing like that. He just asked me some questions about the arcade, how it was running, how much money was I making. Though he did mention the 'glitch' from last month." Both of them remember how the "glitch" (which they found out later to be King Turbug) had stolen a racer during game hours and had almost put Sugar Rush out of order for good. Joe had come by the next day to take the game away, but he let them keep it. Mr. Litwak and Hannah had learned the truth about the "glitch" later that day, but they are the only two gamers who know what really happened that day. "Turns out," Litwak continues, "that the company that takes the games away is somehow connected to the company that makes the games."

"Really?"

"Yep. Oh, by the way," he says, shifting his weight and resting his hands on his hips, "your parents called me shortly before the businessman showed up."

Hannah grimaces. "They did?"

Litwak continues, "They said they want you home by dinner. There's something they want to talk to you about."

"It's not about me coming to the arcade, is it?"

Litwak gazes sadly at the teen. He knows how much she loves the games - but he also knows how her parents are. "They didn't say," he tells her. "Only that you had to be home by that time."

"Then you'll have to hurry up and play with us!" a familiar voice says.

Both gamers turn and smile at the Sugar Rush consoles, specifically the one without the logo. Hannah rushes over and slides into the seat. "Hi, guys!"

Everyone in the game grins back. "Hi, Hannah!"

"How was school this week?" Candy asks.

_Sometimes he acts like my dad_, Hannah thinks. But she replies, "Same as ever."

"Hey, Hannah!" Tori says, hopping up and down with excitement. "For the first time in forever, I came in first in the Random Roster Race!"

Hannah beams. Tori is the only racer who hadn't come in first place in the Roster Race before; all the others had gotten that achievement within the first seven years of the game. "Congrats, Tori!"

"We're all happy for her," Sticky says, hugging her recolor twin and giving a huge smile.

"Oh, and be careful of Cakeway," Taffyta says, playing with her lollipop. "Candlehead accidentally set off a few of the cherry bombs." Everyone stares at the suddenly-sheepish cake-themed racer.

"Thanks for that."

Litwak continues watching their conversation for a while. He's proud of Hannah breaking out of her shy shell - true, she's talking to arcadians, but at least she's talking to someone. After a minute, he turns and enters his office, his grin fading. Litwak didn't show it, but that meeting with the businessman kind of scared him. The visits are becoming more frequent, and it's always that same businessman. Nothing's going to happen to his arcade, is it?

And then the businessman had said that if any glitch of the sort were to happen again, his arcade could be shut down. What would happen to the arcadians then? He's not sure what will happen to them when the outlet extension is unplugged, but he doesn't want to find out.

Litwak plops into his swivel seat with a sigh. _If only my nana were here_, he thinks sadly. He rests his chin in one hand as he reaches out with the other and grabs the picture frame on his desk, bringing it closer to his face. It's a picture of him and his nana when the arcade first opened. Litwak couldn't look any happier, and his nana couldn't look any prouder. They hadn't had much money, but she had told him right before he put the keys in the keyhole that as long as she was alive, she would help him keep the arcade.

But this picture is more than thirty years old. Nana had died a couple decades ago, and the anniversary of her death is coming up. "What would she do now?" he wonders aloud.

* * *

Finally! The arcade opens! Hannah had already finished talking to all the arcadians and stepped back outside when a couple kids started showing up. They asked her if she got to be let in early, and she told them she just had to use the bathroom. She doesn't want herself - or Mr. Litwak - to get in trouble, so she waited outside with everyone. Litwak slyly winks at her as he opens the doors. She darts for Sugar Rush and puts in two coins eagerly, grabbing the wheel.

"Chews your racer!"

Usually, Hannah picks Vanellope, since she's her favorite racer, but right now, she chooses Tori, as a congratulatory gift. "Batter watch out!" the racer cheers, doing her signature pose of crossing her arms and tilting her head down with a mischievous look. The game starts as normal, and Hannah comes in second. Not bad, considering it was a close tie with Vanellope. Hannah goes from game to game, either beating them again or coming very close. (She's a very good player.) The last game for today is Hero's Duty, so she heads over there - only to stop short when she sees someone already there. Though he's not playing it, really, he's just standing there staring at the screen. Hannah carefully approaches him, and says, "Uh, hello, sir? Are you playing that?"

The old man turns to see her. "Oh, no, miss, I was just looking at..." His voice trails as he stares once more at the screen.

She gives the man a doubtful look. "Hey, if you're busy, I can come back later-"

"No, no, it's alright." He shakes his head clear and pulls his blue sweater around him tighter. "It's just that this game reminds me of...something from my old home."

"Oh." Hannah watches the demo that's playing on an endless loop. It is rather horrific and violent. "Was it some kind of war?" she blurts out. Immediately, she feels ashamed asking that.

The older man doesn't seem to notice, continues staring at the screen. "I promised them I'd find help. I left them all behind."

Hannah looks the guy over: on the shorter side, balding hair with a comb-over, wearing a blue sweater, gray shirt, dark blue pants, and black shoes. He's got black-framed glasses, and he seems to be in his sixties or seventies. _He doesn't seem like a soldier_, she thinks, _but you shouldn't judge on appearances, right?_ "I'm sorry about that, sir," she says.

"It's been many years," he mutters. "I wonder if..." He snaps back into reality again and looks at Hannah. "I'm sorry. You probably think I'm an old kook, right?"

"Um..." Is this the time to be honest or polite?

He just smiles and says, "It's alright. I don't think I could've helped going a little cuckoo. Amelia used to tell me so." His small smile disappears. "I miss her. She's been dead for a couple decades now."

"Hey! Look who's back!" Mr. Litwak says, coming up to the two, a big smile on his face.

The other man also lights up, and the two hug. "Larry! I haven't seen you in years!"

"You guys know each other?" Hannah asks, glancing from one old kook to the other.

Litwak explains, "We met before I opened my arcade, though we've lost touch over the past few years."

His friend frowns. "I meant to talk to you-"

"Don't worry about it. Just stay for a while and play some games. Hey!" he suddenly shouts, going over to the basketball dunking game where some of the kids are taking the balls out and throwing them around.

The old man chuckles. "If only Amelia could see him now."

Hannah makes a confused face. "Who's Amelia?"

"His nana. She used to get on Larry's case for..." His voice trails off, and he's staring at something. Hannah follows the path of his gaze until she sees... "Kingdom Hearts," the man breathes. "When did that get here?"

"Four or five months ago," Hannah says. "I remember it was such a popular game when it first came out. Still is kinda."

He mutters something under his breath.

"What was that, sir?"

He starts, as if forgetting for a moment that she was there. "I'm sorry," he says, heading for the door. "I have to go. Tell Litwak I'll be in touch with him!" Just like that, he leaves.

"Who was that old kook?" Hannah asks aloud to no one in particular. She shrugs and turns towards Hero's Duty - only to find the game bullies are already there. "Oh, great. Now, what am I supposed to do?"

* * *

The "old kook" paces at the bus stop. He's been watching the arcade - mainly the parking lot - for the past couple of months now, and he noticed the businessman was coming more often. Of course, he won't be allowed back at the company, but he had to know how far along they were in the "game timeline." He knew that they'd been planning for Kingdom Hearts to be one of the last games there, and when that blonde girl told him it had been there a few months, it nearly sent him into a panic. Time is running out. He has to do something, and do it soon.

_If only Amelia were still alive_, he thinks. Amelia was one of the first people he met when he came here. She'd known how to handle those people, and she would know what to do now. She never told Litwak anything while she was still alive - he's not even sure if he should tell Litwak everything yet. If he can just find a way to change the system...

He stops pacing, thinking about the blonde girl. He had walked by the arcade earlier and noticed she had been talking to a game - as if the people on the other side of the screen could hear her. She was so deep in conversation she never noticed him, but nevertheless he hurried away before the businessman or Litwak or anyone else could spot him. That scene plays over and over in his mind. _Does she know the truth, then?_ _Could she maybe help?_

The bus pulls up at that minute and opens the doors. He steps on and plops down in a seat near the front. _If that girl does know_, he thinks, _that those games are alive...maybe she can help after all._

**A/N: Hope you guys liked the first chapter!**

**Besides this story, I am working on other stories, too, and will not update as often as I'd like to. I will try to post a chapter a month, but it may take 4-8 weeks for me to post the next chapter. Sorry if you guys don't like waiting, but I want to make sure I have a chance to work on all my stories and take care of my busy schedule.**

**Second, I'm changing the hours of Litwak's Arcade for the story, only because I couldn't find a way to fit in the story with the hours it had already. So just assume that during the week, the arcade doesn't open until after school, like, say, 3ish and goes until later in the night, like around 10.**

**And now, to kick off the phrase game! For this chapter's phrase, the hint is: something relating to a song from Frozen. You can leave your guesses in comments, and I'll reveal the next chapter what the phrase was and who got it right. And if you have any suggestions for future phrases, let me know either by comment or PM. Good luck everyone!**

**Oh, and fun fact: this day last year, I posted "Connections." How about that? :)**


	2. The Vision

The businessman takes a deep breath and smooths his already-perfect suit before opening the door and striding in. "Boss," he says, "I have the report on the arcade."

The boss, in his tall, black leather, swivel chair, continues to stare out the glass wall at the twilit city. "Any news?" he asks in a deep voice.

"The old man insists there's nothing wrong with his arcade, though I questioned him thoroughly on the glitch from last month."

"Does he suspect anything out of the ordinary?" the boss asks, twirling around to see his employee.

"If he does, he hides it very well."

"And what about _him?_"

The businessman knows who "he" is. "I haven't seen him around the arcade in the past several months."

"Good." The boss leans forward, resting his elbows on the polished walnut desk and tapping his fingertips together. "But we're so close to the activation that we can't take any chances. Next time you see him, arrest him."

"But, sir," the employee says, a tad surprised at the sudden order, "he doesn't go by the arcade anymore, and he's never done anything to jeopardize-"

"I don't care if he spends all his time in a soup kitchen," the boss interrupts. "As long as he roams free, he is a liability. Arrest him."

"Fine. Though he's about as dangerous as that girl," the businessman mumbles under his breath.

"What girl?" The boss leans forward, obviously interested.

The employee curses in his mind. "Just a teenage girl Litwak lets in early, probably just an enthusiastic gamer."

The boss leans back in his chair, swivels around to stare out the glass windows again. "Keep an eye on the girl," he says. "As of now, she poses no threat, but I'd rather take no chances. We only have one shot of this working."

"...Yes, sir." The businessman nods his head and bows out. As he walks to the elevator, his mind is swarming with thoughts: the upcoming activation, the "old kook," Litwak, the girl, the games. He knows better than to question the boss - it was his idea after all to program the games the way they are, and this was his scheme from the very beginning. Still, the employee can't help but feel the boss is going a little too far. If the activation doesn't work, they could be responsible for tampering with the games and affecting someone's business, something they could be sued or arrested for. If the activation does work...

DING.

The elevator doors part, and the businessman steps in, punching a button. He sighs, rubbing a hand through his graying hair. If it does work, what then? Not even that old kook knows what is now on the other side. Guess they'll have to find out, won't they?

* * *

"Everything alright, Hannah?" Litwak asks, going over to the table that she's at.

She has a notebook and two different school books out. "I'm fine, Litwak," she says, not looking up from what she's writing. "I'm just working on homework while waiting for a turn at Hero's Duty."

Litwak looks over at said game - and moans and rolls his eyes. "Oh, great. _Those_ two again." He means the two boys that love hogging video games all to themselves. There are even a few kids standing around the console waiting for a turn.

"Yeah," Hannah deadpans. "Tammy told me earlier today, though, that if those guys ever come by her game, she was gonna make it super hard for them."

"Who's Tammy?"

"Sergeant Tammy Calhoun," she says matter-of-factly, checking something in one of her school books before scribbling something down in her notebook. "By the way, that old guy had to leave but he said he was gonna talk to you."

"I noticed he was gone." He rests his hands on his hips.

Hannah glances up from her homework. "Who was he?"

"He's my old friend, Stephen Sparks. He lived with me and my nana for a few years before he moved out. He was really into video games, too-" Litwak rubs the back of his neck, "-but after a while he stopped coming to the arcade, didn't return my calls, and I thought he was gone."

"I'm sorry about that, Mister Litwak." She scribbles faster. "And...I'm...almost...done!" She slams her books shut and tucks them back into her backpack. She hears something flop onto the table top and sits up to see it. It's a packet. "What this for?" she asks.

"That-" Litwak grins as he slides onto the bench across from her, "-is a job application. I figured you come here so often and you love the games as much as I do, if not more, and-"

"Wow!" Hannah's eyes are wide as she looks over the first page of the application. "I get to work here? Really?"

"Only if you fill out this application first."

"This is so cool!" It takes all of her willpower to keep from squealing in excitement.

Litwak grins - but it fades as he adds, "There's just one thing though. You need your parents' permission."

Her grin falters. "Why?"

"Because you're still a minor, and your parents need to be okay with this before you can start working here. 'Kay, sweetheart?"

There's only one problem: Hannah's parents don't like video games. Not even computer Solitaire or Wii Sports. They have already expressed their concern about Hannah spending too much time at the arcade instead of doing something "useful," like joining a boring debate club like her mother, or a stiff honor society like her father. And now they're calling Mr. Litwak about "the problem." They would certainly hate the idea of Hannah working at Litwak's arcade.

But she really wants this more than anything. Surely she can convince her parents otherwise. She nods at Litwak and says, "'Kay."

He pats her hand. "I know your parents won't be particularly thrilled, but it's for legal reasons only."

"I know." Hannah glances up at the clock. "I should probably head home now. Otherwise, I'll be late, and then they'll be in a bad mood, then there go my chances of working here." As she tucks the application carefully into her bag, she mumbles, "So much for playing Hero's Duty."

They both rise from the table. "Let me know how everything goes," Litwak says. "And if you need someone to back you up, feel free to call."

"Thanks." Putting on her jacket and grabbing her backpack, she waves goodbye to Litwak. She takes a deep breath as she mounts her bike. _Man, I hope this works_, she thinks as she rides down the twilit street to her house.

* * *

The pixel ball appears in front of the surge protector. He watches scene after scene of the events with the return of Turbo/Candy. In every single one, Turbo/Candy glitches red - but everyone he comes in contact with glitches blue. Why would Turbo be the only one to glitch red? Is it because he's evil?

Curious, the surge protector taps another light on the wire-walls of the archiving code. The image in the pixel ball flickers to another one: the day Turbo tried to take over Road Blasters. Surge watches as Turbo drives down the cord tunnel and into the game world. He calls out his catchphrase as he races back and forth in front of the gamers' red car. Turbo collides with the red car - and they both _glitch blue_.

Turbo glitching blue? How did he glitch blue? And when and why did he start glitching red?

As soon as this image finishes, other lights around the archiving code start beeping. The surge protector sighs anxiously. For about a month now, strange things have been happening in the archiving code. His beloved home is meant to record and remember everything that happens in the arcade: from characters, to games, to events. That way, he can go back and check them - like he is now - to prevent other problems from arising.

But last month, when Turbo/Candy was defeated for good, Kairi's light started blinking. At first, Surge thought it was about her and Sora talking about heroes, but then it showed a bizarre, and rather disconcerting, backstory memory. At least, it appeared under "Backstory" - but it included Vanellope and a cy-bug. After that "memory," other lights started blinking, and other "memories" arose.

"None of this makes any sense," the surge protector says, gripping what's left of his hair in his hands. He thought that maybe the return of Turbo had caused something to go wrong in his archiving code; after all, the "Turbo/Candy" light didn't appear until the real King Candy reset Sugar Rush and fixed his code box. And now that he knows Turbo used to glitch blue makes him wonder if something happened to Turbo that affected everything else. If he can just find the connection between Turbo's blue glitching and red glitching -

"Attention," an indiscernible male voice says. "The arcade is now closed."

Surge groans. It's his job after hours to make sure things run smoothly, to prevent any more Turbo incidents. But with every new blinking light, he's been staying more and more within his archiving code, trying to connect the pieces together. He's just going to stay here today and hope (again) that no one takes advantage of his absence.

* * *

"Are you guys ready?" Vanellope asks.

Everybody's in their karts, including her dad. "Yeah!" they cheer.

"Then let the Random Roster Race start!" She pulls a cord and slides down a purple Fruit Roll-up slide into her own kart as the countdown begins. The light turns green, and everyone takes off. The race goes on as normal - until they come to Gumball Gorge.

Vanellope sees a sugar cube power-up down the road at the same time someone cheers, "Faster! Faster!" Vivid images appear in front of her: a dark night, colors swirling beneath her, a cy-bug underneath...

"Gyah!" Distracted, she slams on the brakes.

CRASH!

Vanellope protects her head as her kart flips a couple of times before landing on its side, smoke curling up from the engine. She coughs away some of the smoke as she crawls out of the wreckage. Looking herself over, she finds only a couple of bruises and scrapes. Mostly she's just shaken up from the kart wreck.

_Wait a minute._ She anxiously tugs on the string around her neck until a pie-shaped necklace comes out from under her sweatshirt. The necklace isn't damaged at all. She exhales deeply in relief, smiling a bit at the sloppily-written letters. _Aw, Ralph_, she thinks.

A groan.

The president looks over at the kart she crashed into and tucks her necklace away before hurrying over to help the racer out. "Are you okay, Swizzle?" she asks.

Since his kart landed upside-down, he's on the ground directly under his seat. "That was totally wicked!" he says, before moaning in pain.

Vanellope steps forward and grabs his arms. "_You_," she says, emphasizing her words as she yanks him backwards, "are the _cra_ziest _dare_devil I _know_." With one last pull, Swizzle is dragged out of the crashed kart.

Before he can remark, they hear someone call, "Are you guys okay?"

They carefully turn their heads to see Sticky Wipplesnit pulling over to the side of the gorge. She always was the most caring racer. "I'm fine," Vanellope says - but then Swizzle hisses and winces, clutching his leg. "I don't know about Swizzle though."

Sticky hops out and dashes over, not worrying about the other karts, as they've already driven through the gorge. "Swizzle!" she says, sliding next to the lollipop-themed racer. "What happened to you?"

He moans, "I accidentally crashed into Vanellope's kart, and it smunched up my engine, crushing my leg." The girls look down at his leg - Sticky holds a hand to her mouth as she gags, and Vanellope makes a face in disgust: Swizzle's leg is broken and at a weird angle, and it's all bloody and bruised.

"We gotta get you fixed up," the president says. "Otherwise, you can't race in tomorrow's Roster Race."

Swizzle's eyes widen. "But I gotta race!"

"Not with a busted leg," she says, crossing her arms.

Sticky turns away from the ghastly sight and faces Vanellope. "How did you guys crash?" she asks. "I know Swizzle's a thrill-seeker, but he would never try a stunt like this during a Roster Race. And you're such a good driver."

Vanellope looks away. "I, uh, saw something that made me panic."

"Oh, dear." Sticky turns away and starts pacing.

Swizzle catches Vanellope's eye and mouths, "Was it those dreams?" For the past month, Vanellope's been having weird dreams, starting with a bizarre vision she had at Tapper's. Only her dad, Swizzle, and Citrusella know about the vision, and only they know she's been having recurring dreams around that vision.

Vanellope nods - but keeps her mouth shut, as sirens can be heard off in the distance. They grow louder and louder, and the three racers can see flashing lights grow brighter and brighter as the vehicles get closer and closer.

"Vanellope!" Candy cries, screeching to a stop near Sticky's kart. The ambulance, police, and other racers follow close behind. "Swizzle! What happened to you?"

"It's my fault, sir," Swizzle lies, Sticky and Vanellope staring at him. "I was trying a new trick, but it went wrong, and I crashed into Vanellope's kart."

"Are you okay, Your Presidency?" Citrusella asks, rushing forward to help her friends.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she says. But then she whispers, with a small eye-roll, to Citrusella, "It's those crummy dreams again."

The indigo-colored racer nods in understanding.

Wynnchel and Duncan dismount their motorbikes and come over to lift Swizzle up and carry him to the ambulance. As they do so, they say, "Your reckless driving was bound to get you in trouble one of these days."

_"Wreck"-less?_ Vanellope thinks. _Ralph and Felix! They can fix Swizzle's leg up in no time!_ "Hey, Dad," she says, spinning in his direction, "can I go see Ralph and Felix and ask them for help?"

Candy frowns. This is not how he was planning to spend after-hours with his daughter. Again. "Vanellope, my dear, you were just in an accident. Why don't you rest and let one of the others get them?"

The president crosses her arms and pouts.

"I agree," Citrusella says. "You should take it easy after what happened."

"...Fine," she says. Turning to the group, she clasps her hands behind her back and walks forward. "Alright, which one of you chumps wants ta get ol' Stinkbrain and Hammer-Time?"

"I'll do it!" Jubileena offers, holding her hand high and hopping a couple times.

"Great!" Before hopping into the purple-and-yellow kart, Vanellope turns to the donut cops and safety crew. "Take Swizzle to Sugar Palace to rest. Those of you who won the race, woo-hoo, congrats, and all that. Go enjoy yourselves!" Everyone hesitates for a moment, feeling awkward in such a serious situation, but after Candy drives off with his daughter, followed by the ambulance, the racers start to relax, heading back to the starting line.

* * *

Stephen Sparks, the "old kook," looks down at the portal device in his hands. He can use it now, can activate it and go home. He can warn everyone about the looming danger. He can set things right.

No, he shouldn't. Not with the other device still on this side. True, it's in pieces, but that doesn't mean it can't still operate. That's how they were built, the commander said so, in case a device got damaged but the people still needed to get away. Besides, instead of just warning the people about the danger, he should try to stop it. Given, he's tried once before and failed, but he can try again. He must try again.

But this time, he'll be prepared. He thinks about the little blonde girl at the arcade. Though he doesn't know her very well, he has a good feeling about her, and other than that "boss" his feeling's always been right. He doesn't know how much she knows about those games - but no matter what, she has an advantage he never had.

He looks down at the portal device in his hands. "It's time," he says, "for a new protector to rise."

**A/N: At long last, the chapter's finished! Took forever to get the edits done! *wipes forehead***

**For the record, I don't have any grudge against "boring clubs," as Hannah calls them. I was part of an honor society myself. I just wanted to set up a contrast between game-loving Hannah and her busy-body parents. And thanks for the reviews everyone! :) I'm glad you all like it a lot! I do have a question for you guys: what should Hannah's last name be? I have a working name, but I'm not sure if I wanna use it for the final cut. It won't appear for another couple chapters, so if you have any ideas, leave them in comments or PM me. Thanks!**

**Last chapter's phrase was "For the First Time in Forever." Congrats to BlackRose56 for being the first one to guess this right! :) This chapter's phrase has to do with MC Hammer. Good luck!**


	3. Ugh, Parents

Hannah stares at the application in her hands. She didn't say anything when she got home, or during dinner: her parents had been preoccupied with something, saying nothing more than "How was school, honey?" and exchanging anxious glances. Odd that they wanted her back early, but never said anything to her. To be fair, she spent most of the time in her room planning how she would bring up the arcade application to them.

She takes a deep breath. It's now or never. One last time, she runs through what she's gonna say. She hopes that her parents would really appreciate she took the time to prepare an argument. She tightens the belt of her bathrobe before quietly opening the door and slipping out, the application behind her back. Sweat forms on her forehead, but she wipes it off and brushes her hand on her pink flannel pajama pants. She glances up at the clock on the wall: 10:29. Her parents should be having their late night coffee right now while discussing something, usually politics. Blech.

The closer Hannah gets to the living room, the more she can hear her parents' hushed voices. She peers around the corner and softly says, "Mom? Dad?"

Her parents stop talking and turn on the sofa to see her. "Hannah, honey," her mother says. "We were just talking about you."

_So far, so good_. "I wanted to talk to you guys about something."

"Well, sit down, pumpkin," her father says, gesturing to the chair across from the sofa.

She tucks her blonde hair behind her ear, making her way over. "What's that behind your back?" her mom asks.

"I'll tell you later." She plops down. "So, um..." She clears her throat. "I've been thinking about getting a job."

Her parents beam. "Oh, Hannah," her father says, "that's wonderful! We were actually mentioning we thought you were old enough to start working now."

_Wow, this is going better than I thought_. "I actually found a job I really like in town, and I wanted to know if I could work there. I can head over right after school."

Her parents exchange nervous glances. "Honey," her mother begins, tapping the side of her mug, "we're not staying in town. We're moving."

Hannah freezes. Did her mom really just say -

"It's true," her father adds, seeing the look on his daughter's face. "I'm getting a new assignment, and they're transferring me to Travis. But we found a house in Vacaville, so you won't have to live on base."

"Vacaville? But that's so far away!"

"We're sorry, Hannah," her mom says. "We would've told you sooner, but the paperwork for the new house just went through."

It fully hits Hannah. She's moving again. She'll never see the arcadians again. "But what about my friends here?" she says.

"You'll make new friends at your new school," her dad says.

"It's not the same!"

"Maybe your friends can come up and visit you," her mom suggests.

"That's impossible! They can't leave the games!" As soon as she says that, she regrets it.

They give her a funny look. "Games?" her mom repeats.

_Oh, great. _"Never mind."

"Do you mean tournament games?"

"...No. Video games."

Her parents scowl. "Your friends are inside _video games?_" her dad says. "Is that what you do at Litwak's all day, talk to games?"

"Not all day." _Please stop talking about this, guys_.

"Hannah, this is not normal. The people inside the games are fictional, made up, _not real_."

She facepalms, really at a loss for words.

"I knew that Litwak was a bad influence on our kids," her mom snaps.

Her dad complains, "He's turning our kids' brains to mush through his mindless games, making them confuse make-believe with reality."

"It's not like that!" Hannah says, taking her hand away from her face. "Mister Litwak's a great guy! He's my friend!"

"Just because you see him every day, Hannah," her mother says, "doesn't mean you're friends."

"You don't understand!"

"We understand," her father says, "that you spend too much time at that arcade as it is, playing those games and what not."

"I love those games! And I hope there's an arcade in Vacaville where I can work!"

Her parents look stern. "No daughter of ours will ever work in an arcade!"

"But that's where I wanted to work here!" Hannah takes the application from behind her back and shows them. "See? Mister Litwak personally asked me to work there."

"That man's a terrible influence on you!" her father declares, snatching the application from her hands.

"Hey! Give that back!" Hannah grabs for it.

Her father rips the application in two.

She stares at the halves floating down to the coffee table.

"You will not work for Litwak's or any arcade," he says. "Are we clear?"

Hannah's lip trembles and her vision blurs with unshed tears.

"Are we clear?" he repeats more loudly.

"Clear," she says with a heavy voice. She rises, heads back to her room.

"We're just doing this because we care about you, Hannah," her mother says.

Hannah whirls around, a couple tears, not trying to hide the crack in her voice. "If you really cared about me, you'd let me work at the arcade!" She turns and runs back to her room, shutting the door and locking it. She leans against the door and slides down, letting the tears flow as she hugs her knees to herself. "Why?" she keeps whispering.

She hears footsteps coming down the hallway, and she sniffs once before quieting herself. The doorknob jiggles, but she doesn't do anything.

"Hannah?" comes her father's voice. "Let us in, pumpkin."

She doesn't respond.

"I don't know what's gotten into her," her mother whispers. "She's never acted like that before."

"She's probably just tired," her father whispers back. "Midterms are coming up in school, after all."

"Hopefully, she'll be better in the morning." Her parents' voices fade as they walk to their own room.

Hannah sniffs once more, then straightens and undoes her bathrobe, draping it on her desk chair before climbing into bed. She takes her glasses off and sets them on the nightstand next to her before rolling onto her side and crying herself to sleep.

* * *

_She's running through the dark forest. "Grandma!" she calls out. "Grandma!" The two of them had been running away from the Experiments, but they got separated when they came to this forest._

_Even with the moonlight, it's too dark to see anything. But she stumbles on. "Grandma, where are you?"_

_Boom._

_She freezes in place. What was that sound? Where did it come from?_

_Something rustles in the bushes. Wide-eyed, heart racing, she steps back from the bushes. Her eyes dart around, looking for anything she can use to protect her from the...from the..._

_Dog. A yellow dog with a thin black tail and a green collar pops out of the bushes. A smile spreads on her face, and her heart rate slows down. "Hi, boy," she coos, bending down and holding out her hand._

_The dog smiles back at her and steps forward, sniffing her hand before licking it._

_"Awww." She scratches him behind the ears. "You're a good boy. Yes, you are."_

_The dog enjoys the attention - but then he sees something behind her and stands rigid, emitting a low, short growl. Curious, she turns around to see..._

Kairi gasps loudly, suddenly waking up. She pants as she sits up, taking in her surroundings. No dark forest, no creepy shadows. Just her same old room in Hollow Bastion. Whew. This is reality, not a dream.

_These dreams are getting out of hand_, she thinks, putting her hand to her head. They started a month ago after that talk with Sora about heroes. After that one weird vision. She and Vanellope had promised at the party not to share that vision - or anything similar - with anyone, but she feels the need to share this dream with someone.

Kairi swings her legs over the side and stands up, making her way to her bedroom door. She opens it, peeks out, checks both ways, then slips out of her room. Whenever she passes someone in the hallways, she makes sure to smile at them, but she doesn't stop to talk, determined to get to Vanellope as soon as she can. She rounds the last corner.

"Oh, sorry!" she says, almost bumping into Sora and Riku.

"It's okay," Sora says. "We weren't looking where we were going anyway."

Kairi steps around them. "Well, I should go."

"Wait!" Sora says, holding out a hand to her as she walks away. "Where are you going?"

Without looking back or stopping, she says, "To talk to Vanellope. I'll be back later."

Sora watches her go concernedly. She's not acting like herself. He considers going after her, in case she needs any help with anything. "Ow!" he says when Riku elbows him in the ribs. "What was that for?"

Riku, with a huge smirk on his face, says, "I think you know what it was for, Lover Boy."

"What are you talking about?"

"Dude, for the past month you've been checking up on her every day, doing favors for her every now and then, and staring at her like she won't come back." Riku mocks his friend's forlorn expression.

Sora bites his lip. It's true, he's been more attentive to Kairi lately, but only because he knows something's wrong. Before the return of King Turbug, he'd never given a second thought to how she felt playing a dormant character throughout the whole game. It wasn't until she used the Keyblade he started seeing her in a whole new light. "Only heroes can use the Keyblade," he remembers from a backstory memory. Since then, Kairi's been acting strange, like something heavy is on her mind. He only wishes he can help her - and figure out how she can be a hero.

"I'm just a nice guy," Sora says.

"Yeah, nice with Kairi." Riku laughs as Sora playfully glares, the two of them getting into a mock fight.

* * *

Even though Vanellope's not feeling very tired or sore, as soon as she gets to Sugar Palace she heads to her room, at her dad's request. Candy then makes his way to the hospital wing, where the bear claw safety crew dropped off Swizzle. He pushes open the door and says, "How are you feeling, my boy?"

"Other than my leg, I feel swell," he says, hands behind his head, settled into the white hospital bed.

Citrusella, the only racer to stay behind, says, "Something's off with Vanellope. She told me she had one of those visions again."

Candy walks forward, eyes downcast and hand to his chin in worry. "This is terrible. She can't race like this. We can't keep asking Felix to fix all our broken karts. He's already come five times this past month."

"Then tell her that," Citrusella says.

He stops right by the bed. "But will she listen to me? She's the rightful ruler after all."

"Dude," Swizzle says, "this is a constitutional democracy. Everybody has a say in stuff."

The king doesn't look so sure.

"You're her dad," Citrusella says. "She'll listen to you."

Candy mulls over this. _How do I be a__ dad?_ After a minute of contemplation, he lowers his hand and sighs. "I'll see what I can do." He bids the racers farewell and makes his way to Vanellope's room. The whole time, he's wringing his hands, worrying about how to tell her she can't race. _Be a good father. Be a good father._ He walks slowly, stalling, but too soon he comes to her doors. There's no escaping this moment. With a shaky hand, he knocks.

"Come in!" chirps Vanellope's voice.

"It doesn't sound like you're resting, my dear," he says, opening the door.

Vanellope's jumping on the bed. "I don't feel tired at all!" She lands on her back, laughing.

Candy approaches her. "But, sweetheart, you were just in an accident. Shouldn't you rest?"

"Aw, but I'm not tired," she says with an exaggerated pout.

_I can't do this_. He turns away.

"C'mon, Grumpy," Vanellope says...but seeing her dad look so serious and sad makes her stare up at him concernedly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just..." He's tongue-tied.

She scoots over a few times and pats the spot she had been sitting on. "You can tell me," she assures him with a grin.

He mechanically goes over and settles on the covers, not meeting her hazel gaze. "Vanellope," he begins, "there are some that...I think that," he changes, shyly looking up, "for the sake of your well-being, and the others', you don't race for the next few days."

"What? That's not fair!" She frowns. "Why not?"

He almost changes his mind - but he remembers Swizzle and Citrusella. With a small shake of his head, he tells her, "Honey, you caused an accident today."

"But it was just because of those stupid dreams!"

"But, sweetheart, they're becoming a problem." He rests a hand on her shoulder. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know," she moans, slouching and glaring at her comforter.

Candy hangs his head. He hates seeing his little girl so upset, even if he's protecting her. "I'm sorry," he mutters.

Vanellope rests her chin in one hand and says, "So what the huckleberry am I supposed to do now?"

He thinks about that. He tries to remember what she did before he was locked up: the two of them used to race during their free time, when they weren't helping their subjects, when they weren't talking to Turbo...

"Dad? Dad?"

Candy snaps out of his thoughts. "Hmm, what?"

"You were just sitting there staring at nothing," Vanellope says. She crosses her arms. "You're not having visions now, are you?"

"Oh, no, sweetheart, I was just thinking of...Turbo." He cringes at the name.

Vanellope shifts so that she's facing her dad, sits cross-legged, and grins. "Don't worry about him, Pops-icle. That stinkbug's gone forever."

_That voice. So young, so innocent..._ He squeezes his eyes shut when a painful memory arises, but his trembling lip betrays his feelings.

Vanellope's at a loss right now. She's trying to cheer her dad up, but so far it's not working. "Um, Dad?" she asks.

Candy wipes his eyes. "Sorry, my dear, it's just...for the longest time, I thought you were dead. I watched Turbo rip the cords from your code box. He showed me your tiara, telling me you were gone forever." He hangs his head and covers his face with his hands.

That's right. Last month, the surge protector had shown Vanellope the pixel ball of memories. She remembers watching all those heartbreaking scenes from the past sixteen years. Man, no wonder her dad's so moody. She pats his shoulder and says, "It's okay."

"And then I never saw you again until last month." He sniffs and wipes his eyes, though his eyes are still red. "I just don't know how to be a good father anymore." He tries to do his usual chuckle, but it comes out more of a whine.

"You worry too much," Vanellope says, sitting up on her knees. "Yeah, Turbo was rotten, and yeah, you were in the fungeon for years, but it's okay now." She makes a ridiculously stern face and wags a finger at him. "So cheer up!"

"How?"

She grins mischievously and pounces on her dad, poking him in the sides and ribs. He looks surprised for a second as he's knocked over, but then starts laughing as he squirms to get away. "V-Vanellop-peheehehe, dohohohon't!"

"I'm not stoppin' 'til you lighten up," she tells him, tickling him more.

His laughter rises a few pitches. "Plehehehehehease! Ho ho ha ha ha!"

"Nope."

"Hee hee hee! F-F-Fihihihine!" As best he can, he lifts a hand up and pinches her side. She flinches, but that pause is all he needs to push her off and tickle her back.

Vanellope's laughter fills the room. "Dahahahad, stohahahap!"

"Do you think I've lightened up enough?" he asks playfully.

"Yeahahahaha!"

"Good. Ho ho!" Candy stops and straightens.

It takes a couple moments for Vanellope to stop laughing and settle down, but then she smiles up at her dad. "See? You can be lots of fun when you're not mopey."

"That was fun, wasn't it? Hehe."

KNOCK KNOCK! "Vanellope?"

Vanellope beams and bounces off the bed. She knows that voice anywhere. "Kairi!" She cheers her friend's name a couple times as she dashes to the door and opens it wide to show her redheaded friend.

Kairi smiles brightly. "Nice to see you, too." She steps inside and notices Candy in the room. "Oh, King Candy! I'm sorry, I didn't know-"

"That's alright," he says, sliding off the bed and walking to the door. "Vanellope and I were about done anyways." With one last glance at her, he says, "We'll talk more later." He shuts the door behind him.

"Talk about what?" Kairi asks.

Vanellope leads her friend over to her bed and says, "Dad says I can't race for a few days, so I'm tryin' to figure out what to do."

"Does it have anything to do with the laughter I heard coming down the hallway?"

"Maybe," she says slyly.

Kairi grins, but then she gets serious. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Is it about those dreams?"

"Have they been bothering you, too?"

Vanellope leads her over to the bed and they both plop down on the comforter, Vanellope tossing Kairi a mint-colored pillow. They always hold pillows when they talk, in case they need to hit or scream into something, or just hug something for comfort. The president grabs a chocolate-colored pillow and fiddles with a corner. "It was so weird. Today when we were racing, I heard someone shout 'faster, faster' at the same time I saw a sugar cube power up. All of a sudden, I saw a cy-bug where my kart should be, and I kept thinking how in the vision I said, 'Faster, Sugarcube, Faster!'"

"Sugarcube was the name of the cy-bug in the vision?"

"Yeah, doy. After that, I freaked out, slammed on the brakes, crashed into Swizzle, and the rest is history."

Kairi pats her friend on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, but at least you're not badly hurt."

Vanellope grins and nods. "Still around to make fun of you guys."

The redhead laughs. "We would definitely miss your insults."

"Oh," Vanellope says, making a sappy face and putting a hand on her heart, "I feel so special now!"

They laugh. When they're through, Kairi says, "Thankfully, my dreams haven't interrupted gameplay, during or after hours, but after the arcade closed tonight I took a nap - and the dream I had scared me so much I woke up."

Vanellope remembers last month having weird dreams. They didn't really scare her, but they were bizarre - later she found out they were memories. But if _these_ dreams and visions are supposed to be memories, too... "How creepy was your dream?" she asks.

Kairi hugs her pillow and says, "I was going through a dark forest, calling for my grandma. I don't even have a grandma in the game. Anyways, I'm walking along when I hear something rustling in a bush - but it's just Mickey's dog, Pluto. I'm petting him until he growls at something behind me. I turn around, and then I wake up."

"Whatcha see?"

"No creature like I've ever seen before."

"Not even in any other game around the arcade?" Vanellope smirks.

The Princess of Light shakes her head. "Everyone we know has faces."

The smirk drops. "Wait, so-"

"That thing I saw in the forest had no face, was really tall, really pale, and wore a black suit with a matching tie. I stared at it - then I woke up."

"Whoa. That _is _weird."

Nod. "I wonder if it has anything to do with that creepy carnival at all."

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Come in!" Vanellope shouts.

The door opens enough to show Sour Bill. "Mmm, Ralph and Felix fixed the karts and Swizzle's leg."

"Awesome!" The president bounces off the bed. "Now we can race tomorrow!"

"I thought you couldn't for a while," Kairi speaks up.

Vanellope remembers the talk with her dad, and immediately her smile vanishes. She stops jumping and kicks the ground. "Aw, come on!"

Sour Bill adds, "Ralph says he wants to see you downstairs."

"Well," Kairi says, sliding off the bed, "looks like I'd better go."

"Already?" Vanellope says.

Kairi grins reassuringly at her friend. "When you're done, we can grab a root beer and talk some more."

She grins. "Alright!" She turns to the cough drop. "C'mon, sourpuss, let's go!" Vanellope dashes out of her room and down the hallway, Sour Bill hurrying after her.

* * *

The surge protector grabs the light for "Kingdom Hearts" and drags it out, like a window on a computer. The light opens like a code box, revealing everything belonging to the game: characters, places, timeline...events and memories. He taps a couple of boxes and a pixel ball appears in the middle of the room. He watches the chain of events in the game, from intro to finale - but he's focusing on Kairi.

She literally does not appear for most of the game, and when she does, she's a sleeping damsel in distress. The last event finishes, and the pixel ball disappears one pixel at a time.

He scratches his head. So far, none of the events or memories suggest that Kairi can use a Keyblade. _So how was she able to use one last month?_ he wonders.

He closes the two windows and starts pacing the room with his hands behind his back - but then the "Kingdom Hearts" light starts beeping again.

The surge hurries over and opens it again, anxious to know what the beeping's about now. He drags the light out - and a message pops up: "ASHPD Piece Detected. Activate?"

"ASHPD?" What's that supposed to mean? And what would happen if he did activate it? Not wanting to travel down that road yet, he taps the "no" button, and the message disappears.

He groans and drags a hand down his face. "What's become of my archiving code?" he mutters.

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter was too long. I'll try and keep the chapters kinda short, but in this case, there wasn't any place where I could break it off and keep the flow.**

**Last chapter's phrase was "Hammer-Time." Congrats to D's Vault and Ways for getting this right! :) This chapter's phrase is related to one of the seven dwarfs. Good luck!**


	4. Lose A Friend, Gain A Friend

"Are you sure everything's okay?" Felix asks, straightening his cap.

"Yes, I'm sure," Candy says. "I checked with Vanellope earlier, and she's as good as ever."

Ralph looms over the king, who shrinks back. "Then how come there are so many accidents in this game lately?"

Before the adults can speak another word, they hear a little girl cheering as she slides down the staircase railing and lands on the floor of the throne room. "Ralph! You're here!" Vanellope cries, glitching over and giving him a huge hug.

"Hey, kid," he says, returning the smile and the hug.

"What brings you and Hammer-Time here?" she smirks.

Ralph sets her down, his grin melting into a frown. "We wanted to make sure there wasn't anything strange going on here."

Her heart pounds, but she keeps her confident expression from flickering. "What do ya mean, 'strange?'" She stuffs her hands in her hoodie pouch.

He kneels down. "It's not like you to be so accident-prone, kid. Even last month you didn't crash as often."

"I only crashed twice since then, ga-doi." Well, that's true.

Felix steps forward. "Is there anything we can do to help, little missy?"

Vanellope thinks of Kairi and says, "Thanks, Hammer-Time, but we've got everything under control here."

Ralph and Felix don't look convinced. Nevertheless, the wrecker says, "'Kay, but the next time something happens in the game, we're gonna get to the bottom of this. I don't want my best friend in the world to get hurt."

"Aw, thanks, Stinkbrain," she says. They fistbump each other.

After chatting a little about how their games did and making plans to hang out soon, Ralph and Felix leave the Sugar Rush-ians. When the door shuts, Candy wipes his brow. "Whew, that was close. Heh heh."

"You didn't tell them anything about the visions, did you?" Vanellope asks, hands on her hips.

"No, but they got concerned after Jubileena told them to come fix another crash." He lays a hand on her shoulder. "My dear, you can't keep this a secret much longer."

"Just for a little longer. Pleeeaaaaase?" She makes a cute pouty face.

One that Candy can't resist. "Fine, just for a little longer. Heh heh."

"Yay!" She rushes back up the stairs to meet Kairi and grab a root beer.

Candy watches her go. _My sweet girl_. He knows Vanellope's more than capable of handling things on her own, but how does he fit into the picture? She's been on her own for fifteen years. Now, she has friends both inside her game and outside - and she has Ralph. How can he be the father she needs? He ponders over all this as, hands clasped behind him, he returns to his study.

* * *

Litwak turns the key in the lock and opens the door. Since it's Thursday, the arcade won't open until 3, giving him plenty of time to get things ready. He salutes Yuna as he passes the DDR console and enters his office. He's surprised to see the voice mail light blinking. Who'd be calling him this early? He presses a button and the first message comes on.

"Mister Litwak," speaks the businessman, "I'm calling to inform you that next Saturday, I'll come to inspect the arcade before it opens. You do not have to stay; you only have to open the doors. I'll call you when I'm done. Good day." He hangs up.

_That's just great_, Litwak thinks.

The next message starts right away. "Hey, Larry, it's Stephen. Just calling to see how you were doing, and, um...*sigh* Look, I know I haven't been around much, and I'm sorry. I've just been so caught up with stuff, but I, uh..."

Litwak hears the hesitation in his friend's voice and leans forward in his seat.

"How about we grab a coffee soon? Would tomorrow work for you? Anyway, please call back. I want to get back in touch with you." Stephen leaves his number then says goodbye.

_Coffee tomorrow?_ Litwak leans back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other. _That wouldn't be bad. It's been forever since we've hung out, it'd be nice to see him again. _He calls back and the two make plans to meet up at noon tomorrow. Stephen sounds anxious about something, but he insists throughout the call he's fine. He hangs up after saying that he "has to finish his game plan." _Weird._

RING RING!

"Again?" Litwak picks up the phone and says, "Hello?"

"Mister Litwak, this is Hannah's father."

"Hello again, Mister Grace. What can I-"

"I don't know what you think you're doing," Mr. Grace interrupts, "but rest assured, you won't get away with it."

_What the...?_ "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hannah told us last night that she's been talking to games. Like they're real people."

Blink. He and Hannah had promised they'd never tell anyone about the arcadians.

"She tried to hide it from us. You're a bad influence on children, sir, and I would strongly advise you to leave my daughter out of it!"

Litwak doesn't understand. "What are you-"

Mr. Grace continues, "If you see Hannah again, tell her to come straight home." He hangs up.

The only thing running through Litwak's mind is, _Huh?_ A knock at the door shakes him from his thoughts. He looks up at the clock: only 2:27. No one should be here already - even Hannah doesn't get out of school until 2:30. It's not the businessman, is it? He hurries out of his office.

Hannah's at the door, rubbing her eyes. "Hannah!" He goes over and opens the door for her. "What are you doing here?"

She shuffles inside, stares at the ground. "I'm moving."

"Looks to me like you're just standing there," Yuna says, dancing in place.

Sniff. "I'm moving to Vacaville! In California!"

"But that's halfway across the country!" Litwak says, eyes wide.

"Wait, you're leaving us?" Vanellope asks, popping up in one of the console screen.

"I don't want to-" she dabs at her eyes with her jacket sleeve, "-but my parents are making me go."

"Well," he says, hands on his hips, "that last call makes more sense."

Hannah looks up at him with red eyes. "They called?"

Litwak frowns. "Your dad said something about me being a bad influence and that he wanted you to go home right away."

Sniff. "I was supposed to go home. My teachers noticed I was distracted and upset, and the people at the office told me to go home and rest-" she swallows and lowers her gaze, "-but I had to tell you guys first."

Litwak draws her in for a big hug. "I'm sorry to hear you're leaving." By now, everyone in the arcade is listening, each one silently processing the fact they're losing one of their closest friends. "When do you leave?" Litwak asks.

"Next Saturday. Right when winter break starts."

"Guess that means I'll have to give you your Christmas present now, then," Litwak says lightheartedly, trying to lift the mood. It doesn't work for anyone.

The phone rings in the office, and when it goes to the answering machine, Litwak and Hannah recognize her parents' voices. They both sigh. "Guess I'd better go now," Hannah mumbles, reluctantly breaking away from the hug.

"Stay in touch," Litwak says, watching her trudge out of the arcade, mount her bike, and pedal away. He's going to miss her something awful. Everyone here will.

"What's a Christmas present?" Vanellope asks.

* * *

**_The next day..._**

So much is on Litwak's mind as he walks up to the table outside the coffeeshop. Stephen spots him and rises to hug his friend. "Thanks for coming," he says. "I know it's a bit sudden-"

"Not at all," Litwak says. "I see there's two cups already here."

Stephen picks one up. "I got you your old favorite, peppermint mocha with extra milk. But if you'd prefer something else-"

"I can't believe you still remember my favorite!" Litwak gladly takes the cup and takes a gulp, half-aware of the mocha mustache on top of his graying one.

Stephen bites back a chuckle as they sit down. "So, how have you been? How's the arcade?"

"I've been fine. Arcade's still going smooth, though we did have a little glitch last month. Since then, a businessman's been showing up every so often. Don't know why he keeps coming."

Stephen taps the side of his cup. "Do you know where he's from?"

Shrug. "He says he's from the company that makes the games, or takes them away, or something."

Tap tap tap. "Is he coming back?"

Litwak nods. "Next Saturday, for an 'inspection.' Are you okay, pal?" Litwak asks, gesturing to his friend's drumming fingers. "I've never seen you so nervous, even when we were younger and you were pulled over for speeding."

Stephen lifts his hand from the cup. "Sorry, it's just...nothing." He looks away.

Litwak knows there's something going on, and he wants to know what - but he doesn't want to push his friend when they've just reacquainted after twenty years. He simply says, "You don't have to tell me now."

Stephen smiles sadly. "Thanks, Larry. It means a lot." They talk for a while about the past twenty years: things they've done, places they've been, people that have come and gone. "Remember that one chubby guy who used to come in every day to play Space Invaders?"

"Yeah." Litwak laughs. "He really loved those games. Not as much as Hannah, though."

Stephen furrows his brow. "I don't remember a Hannah."

"She's the blonde kid you met the other day in the arcade. She loves games more than anyone else, and sometimes we like to play each other." Litwak drinks half of his mocha.

"I see." He pauses a moment before saying, "Are you and that little blonde girl real good friends?"

"We are-" Litwak's grin fails, "-but she's moving next week to California."

Stephen's jaw drops. "What? But how is she going to-" He stops himself before he gives too much away, and asks instead, "Why is she moving there?"

"Her dad's in the military and got a new assignment."

_This is terrible_, he thinks. _I have to get that package to her soon_. "Do you know when she'll next be at the arcade?"

"I'm hoping she comes back at least one more time before she leaves."

"Me too. I'd like to say goodbye." _And give her the device._

"Come by next week. You can play some of the games and see if she shows up. Though knowing her parents," he says, slouching in his seat and crossing his arms, "it'll be a miracle if she can stay long. They hate games and already feel like she's spending too much time at the arcade."

Hearing this detail makes Stephen jot down mental notes regarding his "game plan." "Is she from a dysfunctional family?"

Litwak remembers all the chats he and Hannah had in his car when he had to drive her back home after closing, since it would be too dark for her to bike home. She'd told him that unless she was getting an academic award or participating in a school-related event, her parents weren't really involved in her life. True, they could get busy, but sometimes they were too busy to go to birthday parties, to go on field trips - or even to play one short game at an arcade. Hannah had said he was more like family to her than her parents were.

But he doesn't share any of this with Stephen. Instead, he says, "Yeah, you could say that."

"That's too bad." Stephen feels really sorry for Hannah.

Both are silent for a while, each wrapped up in his own thoughts. Stephen sighs through his nose as he happens to look out at the parking lot - and see an all-too-familiar black car pull in. His heart pounds. "Hey, Larry," he says as nonchalantly as he can, "wanna go play laser tag? Like old times?"

Litwak smirks. "Trying to show off again, huh?"

Stephen grins. "I am pretty good, aren't I?" His grin flickers when he sees the black car parking. "But seriously, let's go play a game."

"Right now?"

"Right now." He downs the rest of his coffee and rises to toss his cup.

Litwak does the same and gets up. He doesn't notice the black car, or the businessman getting out of it. He just leads his friend to his car (since Stephen took the bus here) and drives to the nearest laser tag arcade.

The businessman, however, recognizes the old Thunderbird and is shocked to find two shadows inside. "So," he says aloud, "the ex-soldier steps back onto the battlefield."

* * *

BEEP BEEP!

The surge protector jerks his head up from the glass table. Groaning, he rubs his eyes with one hand and wipes away drool with the other. He hasn't been getting much sleep lately, staying up late - all day even - trying to figure out the problem. So far, nothing. He'd really rather not talk to Markowski at the Hero's Duty terminal again.

It's in his code to know who does infractions and where, but not why. Though since he hasn't taken care of an infraction in a week, he figures he should check this one out. Sighing, he rises from his chair and stretches before popping up at the Hero's Duty terminal. "Step aside, sir," he says. At Ralph's request, he doesn't add, "Random security check."

"I didn't do anything this time!" Markowski protests.

"I'm just a surge protector doing my job, sir. Name?"

"Private Markowski."

"And where are you coming from?"

"Hero's Duty."

"Are all the cy-bug eggs still-"

"BUG!" Markowski shrieks.

"No, I didn't mean-"

Too late. Markowski's already run away in fear, drawing curious looks from passersby.

Sigh. Surge rubs his head, returning home. No sooner has he set his clipboard down than another light starts beeping. He throws his hands up in the air. "What else can go wrong?" He goes over to the "Markowski" light and drags it out. He sees "Memories" blinking and taps on it.

A pixel ball forms in the middle of the room, showing Markowski climbing a mound of debris. He finally makes it to the top and plops down with a grunt. He stays like that for a moment, panting, before pushing himself up and squinting into the distance. A look of shock and horror comes over his face. "Roger!" he shouts. "Get away from there now!" He scrambles down the other side of the debris pile and runs as fast as he can, aiming his gun. The camera angle shifts to show Markowski running towards a cy-bug nest - where a civilian in a white lab coat is backing away in fear.

"Roger!" Markowski screams again. "Get away!" He shoots a few eggs.

Roger then turns and runs towards Markowski. They reach a hand out to each other as they get closer and closer. They're only a few yards away.

SCREECH!

An adult cy-bug flies out of the nest and swoops down, knocking the two men off their feet. Markowski goes flying backwards and lands on his face. Roger lands on his back. Both are groaning and painfully getting to their feet - when the cy-bug picks up the terrified Roger and eats him. Markowski's eyes widen. "NO! ROGER!" He scrambles to his feet and snatches up his gun, aiming it at the cy-bug.

It makes a few sounds as its body alters shape, loses its green tint, and takes on more human qualities. It now resembles Roger.

Markowski halts, his finger trembling on the trigger.

The Roger-bug inspects itself with wide eyes. "What's happened to me?" he asks. He spots the private and says, "Shoot me."

"No."

"Matthew, just look at me." He gestures to his new bug body. "I'm a monster, a living weapon. This is what has become of those experiments." Sarcastic laugh. "Brad was right."

"Come with me," Markowski says, lowering his gun slightly. "We can find a way to reverse this."

"They'll never take me in. You know that." Roger twitches and fidgets, his head jerking from side to side. "No, I can't...not now..."

Markowski takes a step back and lowers his gun. "Roger?"

"Matthew, run." That's the last thing he says before the bug instincts kick in, turning his eyes solid green and making him go on a rampage.

Markowski runs, but he's cornered at the debris mound. He whirls around, aiming his gun. The Roger-bug eats some of the debris and grows a darker, harder shell. Markowski shuffles back, but still won't shoot. The Roger-bug jerks its head around, the human and bug instincts vying for control. The human side wins for a moment, long enough for Roger to silently beg, "Shoot me."

He still won't.

The bug instincts take over and the monster swipes at Markowski, knocking him back. He stares up in fear, bracing himself for death - when Dr. Brad Scott flips over the mound and lands on his feet between the marine and the bug. He aims and shoots.

The Roger-bug screeches as it collapses on its side, bright green liquid flowing out of the hole in its head.

Brad lowers his weapon and turns around, holding a hand out. "Are you okay?" he asks.

Markowski, trembling, accepts his hand and stands up. "Roger," he mumbles.

Brad frowns and hugs the shaken soldier. "I'm sorry about your brother."

The image fades, and the pixel ball disappears pixel by pixel. The surge protector just stands there for a minute, processing what he just saw. "There's no character named Roger in the game," he says aloud. "And Doctor Brad never shows up to fight. And since when does Markowski have a brother?"

**A/N: Hey, I was doing research for Markowski, and I found out that Litwak's given name in the script is Larry. :) Did not know that before the story. I just chose the name because I thought it sounded cool. lol**

**So, things are getting weird in the archiving code. Hope that part wasn't too long. And don't worry, Hannah will return to the arcade before she leaves.**

**Last chapter's phrase was Grumpy. This chapter's phrase is the name of someone from _101 Dalmatians_. Good luck!**


	5. What Have I Done?

Today's a chilly Friday morning, the day before Hannah begins the move to Vacaville. As she pulls up to the bike rack at school, she feels her phone buzz. Good thing she's wearing the special gloves with the finger pads to let her still use her smartphone. She whips it out of her coat pocket and sees a message from Litwak. They've been texting the past week, since her parents forbade her from going back to the arcade. Hannah unlocks her phone to read the whole message: "Hey, Hannah. Hope things are going well. Guess you're leaving tomorrow. We're all going to miss you, Vanellope most of all. She keeps asking about you. Hey, is it alright if I meet you today to give you your Christmas gift? Since I won't see you after tomorrow."

Reading this text makes Hannah feel miserable. It's not fair she has to move. If only her dad didn't get that stupid assignment! Sigh. No, she can't blame him; it's part of military life, way out of her dad's hands. But still, why now? Why after she's met the arcadians?

You know what? That's it. Hannah should at least have the chance to say goodbye. Surely her parents would let her stop by to say goodbye. Locking her bike and helmet, she whips out her cell phone, dialing her mom's cell. While it rings, she swings a backpack strap over her shoulder and makes her way to class. Her mom answers on the second ring, "Hello?"

"Hey, Mom."

"Hannah, what are you doing calling before school?" Her mom sounds surprised. "Is something wrong?"

_You can do this_, she thinks. "Yeah, there is something wrong: we're moving tomorrow, and I haven't had the chance to stop by Litwak's arcade to say goodbye."

Her mom sighs, and Hannah pictures her mom facepalming and rubbing her temples with one hand. "We've already been over this: Litwak is-"

"A terrible influence, I know, you guys have told me a million times." Hannah rolls her eyes and turns a corner, heading for the sciences building. "But Mister Litwak is still my friend, whether you like him or not, and I would really like to say goodbye before I leave forever."

"We'll talk about this later, Hannah."

"No," she says, stopping in her tracks. "We need to talk about this now."

"You're going to be late for class, honey."

_"Honey, honey," nearly kill me_, Hannah really wants to say. "Please, can't we just stop by the arcade for ten minutes on Saturday?"

"Hannah-"

"_Please?_"

There's a long pause. Finally, her mom says, "Five minutes."

"Seven."

"...Fine. You can go to the arcade for seven minutes on Saturday to say goodbye to Mister Litwak. But then that's it, missie. Understand?"

"Yes, Mom," Hannah says. They say bye and hang up. She fist pumps and smiles. "Yes!" she says. A couple passing students give her weird looks, and she shyly straightens, clears her throat. She's excited to see Litwak and the arcadians one last time. As she makes her way to her first class, Hannah can't help but think about the arcadians. They're so lucky they don't have to worry about moving or new schools. The last thing she thinks before entering biology and sitting at her table is, _I bet they don't have to worry about anything at all._

* * *

_**Later that day...**_

Vanellope shifts gear as she does one more lap around the track. Candy watches her sadly from the popcorn stand. The Random Roster Race finished fifteen minutes ago. The colorful, mishmash kart disappears down the track, and the old man closes his eyes, remembering the events before and during the race.

As soon as the arcade closed, the racers went about preparing for the roster race. He'd just pulled up to his spot when Vanellope rushed up to him. "Hey, Dad! Can I do the roster race today? Please please please?" she asked, jumping up and down.

He laughed at her energy. "Why not, my dear?" he said. "It's almost been a week, and you haven't had any more visions."

"Well..." she mumbled.

_Oh, great_. "Again?"

She shook her head hard, the end of her ponytail whipping her face. "No, not really it was more of a crazy dream that I had that felt real but also felt like a dream because I was someplace I'd never seen before and it was really cool and I didn't wanna wake up, but I had to if I was gonna race today," she said all in one breath. She took a deep breath before saying, "So, can I?"

Candy knew that Vanellope shouldn't be racing if she was having more of those weird "dreams." But he also knew it was hard for her to stay away from the races for as long as she did. Sure, she found things to do, like talk with Kairi (_She's been doing that a lot_, he noted), visit Ralph and Felix, and spend time with him - he inwardly beamed at the memories of all they've been up to lately: playing tag around the castle, getting root beer at Tapper's, telling funny stories before bedtime. But she still sulked at the fact she couldn't race.

Though if she had another dream, maybe she should spend one more day out of the race? Candy opened his mouth to speak - but right then Candlehead skipped over. "Hey, Vanellope!" she chirped.

"Hi, Candlehead!" the president said with a grin. "Are ya ready for the race?"

"You bet!" the green-haired girl replied. "Are you going to race?"

"I hope so," Vanellope replied.

The cake-themed racer nodded. "Me too. Not having you in the roster race reminds me of when Turbo used to be here and said you couldn't race."

Candy's heart stopped for a moment. "T-Turbo? But he's gone," he said, chuckling nervously. "Nothing like that will ever happen again. Hehehe. I was just about to tell Vanellope she can race today."

Both girls cheered. "Thanks, Dad!" Vanellope said, wrapping her arms around him in a surprise hug that left him with a stunned expression. She turned and ran over to where she parked her kart. The king watched her go, unsure how he should be feeling. His little girl's happy, right? So why did he feel like he was doing something wrong? Even when he got to his own kart and prepared for the race, he couldn't shake the feeling away. Should he keep her back?

_No_, he told himself in his mind, shaking his head clear. _That's what Turbo would do. Don't be like Turbo. Be a good, loving father._ He curled his fingers around the steering wheel as the countdown began. The light turned green, and everyone was off. His eyes flickered from the road to his daughter's kart, watching to see how she drove. She swiveled a lot in Gumball Gorge - but, he told himself, everyone was, dodging the gumballs. A couple times she drove dangerously close to the edge of the track on Cakeway. He almost called out to see if she was okay, but then she cut in front of Rancis, and he told himself she was just being sneaky.

But he couldn't fool himself when, in the caves, she hit a wall, making her kart spin. It all happened so fast that he passed her before he could do anything. Candy quickly glanced over his shoulder - at least Vanellope straightened her kart out, but she was really far behind. He stared back ahead and finished the race, coming in second behind Taffyta. Vanellope was the ninth and last person to cross the finish line, barely putting her on tomorrow's roster.

Everyone knew this was Vanellope's first time ever getting ninth place, but they didn't think too much of it. Candy, on the other hand, knew something was wrong. While the other racers did their own thing, he parked his kart and went over to her. "Vanellope," he said, "are you alright?"

"Of course I'm alright," she replied. But she kept her eyes down on her kart as she unnecessarily looked it over.

"You had another vision, didn't you?" Candy put his hands on his hips.

"Not really...maybe just one...that I saw a couple times." She fiddled with the drawstrings on her hoodie.

He sighed and rubbed his head with one hand. "My dear, these visions are becoming a big problem. This is twice now you've had visions while driving, and look what happened."

"Hey, at least I didn't crash," Vanellope said, dropping the drawstrings. "And they only happen during the Random Roster Race."

"But what if they happen during an actual race?" Candy stepped towards her. "My dear, I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I won't get hurt."

He shook his head. "You don't know that. You were just in an accident last week, you've crashed in the lollipop fields-"

"That was a month ago, and it wasn't even my fault!" she interrupted, narrowing her eyes.

Candy started to look angry. "I'm not saying it was, but you still need to be careful. I can't always watch you, so you need to learn to take care of yourself."

Vanellope crossed her arms and glared. "Hey, I've taken care of myself just fine for the past sixteen years! I don't need some old man telling me what to do!"

A pang hit Candy's heart, but he steeled his expression. He grabbed her and pulled her out of the kart, making her exclaim in surprise. "You may be the rightful ruler," he said, "but I'm still your father! And I will not lose you again!"

"Let me go!" she screamed, glitching in an attempt to break free.

"No! You listen to me, young lady!" Though Candy glitched too, he managed to keep a hold on her long enough to drag her away from the kart, whirl her around, and grab her upper arms tight. She gave him a look of surprise and anger as he continued, "You are my daughter! I don't care how long I was locked up and you were taken away from me! I have you again, and I will not risk losing you a second time!"

Vanellope tried to escape, but he held on tighter. "Ouch! You're hurting me!" she complained.

He slightly loosened his grip. "I may be an old man, but you will still do as I say! And if I say you can't race, then you won't!"

She looked stunned, her hazel eyes wide, her mouth open. "You can't do that!"

"I can, and I will! Don't forget, I'm still the king!"

"Yeah, well, _this_ is a democracy, genius, and _I'm_ president! So tough luck!"

Candy narrowed his eyes. "I say you can't race, and that's final!" He threw her to the ground, making her cry out. "And if you disobey me, I'll have the guards destroy your kart!" As soon as he said that, he regretted it, his face crumbling. He would never be cruel enough to rip something so priceless from her.

Vanellope pushed herself up, attempting to glare at her dad but her trembling lip and glistening eyes betraying her hurt.

Instinctively, he stepped forward and stretched out a hand. "Vanellope, I-"

"Shut up!" she shouted, her voice cracking. "Just shut up!" She got to her feet.

Candy made no move to touch her, but he took another step forward with his hands out. "Please, just hear me out."

"I've heard enough from you!" She wasted no time in getting back in her kart.

Guilt gripped the king's heart. He never meant for things to get this bad. "Sweetheart, please listen!" he said. "I didn't mean what I said! Just come back. Please?" he begged.

The little racer shook her head, but she met her father's gaze once to utter the words, "You're just as bad as Turbo." She then slammed on the gas pedal and raced away.

"Vanellope!" Candy called out, running a couple paces after her kart with his hand out, as if he could stop her and make her come back. But he knew he hurt her, and that she wouldn't come back so soon. He lowered his hand and watched her kart turn into a colorful speck and turn down Gumball Gorge. _What have I done? _His gaze lowered to the ground, his shoulders slouching. With one more sad gaze up at the race track, he turned to trudge back to his kart.

All the racers plus Sour Bill, Wynnchel, and Duncan were standing there, having witnessed the whole argument between him and his daughter. The look on their faces was a mix of sadness and disappointment. The king felt like a criminal caught in the act, and for a long time, all he could do was stand there, his eyes lowered in shame and bashfulness, fiddling with his fingers. No one spoke a word, but the silence was deafening to Candy. Wasn't someone going to yell at him, tell him he wasn't fit to rule? He remembered sometimes Turbo would come to his cell and taunt him in his weakness, calling him stupid for still missing his daughter. There were times when Candy would try to fight back by sticking up for her, telling Turbo that one day she would regain the throne and topple the rogue racer. Turbo would just hit him and yell at him. Candy now cringed a little at the memory.

"Sir?"

Though the voice was quiet, it was enough to make Candy jump. He looked up - everyone had left except for Citrusella, who was right in front of him. She spoke again, "Sir, are you okay?"

A lump formed in his throat, so he just lowered his gaze and shook his head a little. He squeezed his eyes shut and brought his hands to his face. "What have I done?"

She frowned and laid a hand on his arm. It took her a moment figuring out what to say, but finally she told him, "You were just trying to be a good dad and keep her safe."

"But now she hates me." He blinked a couple times, his teary, chocolate brown eyes meeting her blue-purple ones. "What if I'm just not a good dad anymore?"

"You are-"

"No, I'm not." He shook her hand off. "If I were a good dad, Vanellope would be happy right now, and safe. But I can't keep her safe from those visions, and she thinks I'm like...like Turbo!" His voice cracked upon saying that monster's name, and he shut his eyes tight as a tear escaped. Citrusella tried to give him a reassuring hug, but he backed away from her, refusing to meet her pitying gaze. "Please, my dear," he told her, "just leave me be." He trudged to the popcorn stand in silence.

Candy's eyes open as he comes back to the present. He hears an engine long before seeing the colorful speck down the road. It gets bigger and closer, and bigger and closer, until Vanellope zooms across the finish line and screeches to a stop. She turns off the kart, but she doesn't get out right away. The old man leans forward, debating whether or not to call to her while she's still in her kart.

His eyes then land on the part of the kart that has the words, "Made by Vanellope and Ralph." He knows the story of how the wrecker helped his daughter make a kart of her own since Turbo stole hers. This was something special to her, something she made with her best friend.

It then dawns on Candy what he'd unintentionally implied when he said he'd destroy the kart, and his guilty heart breaks even more. Ralph took care of his little girl while he was locked in the fungeon, Ralph made her happy and kept her safe. He was more of a father to Vanellope than Candy could ever be - and this makes Candy even sadder. The last thing he would ever want is for Vanellope to lose another part of her family.

The king decides to keep his mouth shut, but he keeps his eyes on her, just to be safe. Vanellope glares at her steering wheel - but then her face cracks, and she crosses her arms on the wheel and cries into them. _What have I done?_ Candy thinks again, turning around and sliding to the floor. He covers his face with his hands, but the hot tears still manage to fall.

**A/N: So many feels in this chapter! Looks like life in the arcade isn't as perfect as Hannah thinks it is. And poor Candy, all he wants is to make his daughter happy; but he's finding out that parenting isn't always easy. Will things work out between the king and his daughter? Will things work out between Hannah and her parents?**

**Last chapter's phrase was "Roger," Markowski's supposed brother and Pongo's human from 101 Dalmatians. This chapter's phrase is a line from an ABBA song. Here's a hint: the song title rhymes with "bunny, bunny." If you have suggestions for phrases, let me know either through comments or PM. I already have a suggestion for a phrase that will appear within the next few chapters. :) Good luck guessing, and thanks for reading!**


	6. We're Family

KNOCK KNOCK!

Ralph yawns and sits up in bed, stretching the kinks out of his back. It was a long day at work, and he hoped to get a nap in before heading to Sugar Rush to see if Vanellope got to race today.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Alright, alright," he says with a huge yawn. He slides out of bed and, scratching his butt, shuffles to the front door. "I'm comin'." He rubs his eyes with one hand, and the other grabs the doorknob and opens the door. His eyes trail down to find a sniffling Vanellope with downcast eyes. "Kid?"

"Hey, Stinkbrain," she mumbles, voice heavy.

For a moment, Ralph just stands there and looks at her. Then he blinks a couple times and steps aside. "C'mon in." He watches her hug herself as she steps inside and makes her way to the chair near Ralph's bed. It's the perfect size for him to sit in, but when Vanellope climbs up on it, she looks like the size of a teddy bear. "What happened?" he asks, coming over to stand by her.

Vanellope sniffs and rubs her eyes, pulling herself together. "Dad's not letting me race," she says, staring down at her boots. "And I waited all week to race again!"

"What?" Ralph plops onto his bed, mouth open like a fish. He knows how hard it was for her - whenever she wasn't hanging out with her dad or talking to Kairi, she would come over and complain like a drama queen about having to stay away from the roster race. She counted down the days - hours even - until she could race again. "But today's the day you get to race again, right?" he says.

She huffs and crosses her arms. "Yeah, doi. Even Dad knew that, since he let me do the Roster Race."

"Aw, I missed it?" Ralph frowns. Sometimes the race doesn't happen right after the arcade closes. He hoped this was one of those days.

"Yeah. I came in ninth place."

"At least you're on the roster for tomorrow." Ralph attempts a smile, but inside he thinks, _She never comes in ninth place. Ever._

Vanellope's lip trembles. She draws her knees up and hugs them, burying her face in her striped stockings. "Dad won't let me race tomorrow, and says that if I disobeyed him he'd have my kart destroyed."

"He said that?" he seethes, balling his fists.

"All because he thinks I could cause an accident on the course!" She looks up at him, and he notices her eyes are red. "But accidents happen all the time!"

"You weren't in an accident this time, though, were you?"

She lowers her gaze and picks at the fabric of the chair. "No, all I did was swerve and hit a wall."

"You what?" he stares at her.

"It's not like I got hurt," she says, giving him a pointed look, "or got anyone else hurt." She shuts her mouth tight, as if she almost said something else she didn't want to share.

Ralph wishes she would tell him everything. He thinks back to last month, when she tried hanging out with him but felt like he was too busy for her or didn't care about her anymore. She told Felix and Citrusella, but she didn't tell Ralph until he confronted her about it. Is she upset? Does she have any more "memories?" He stares at the ground in thought. "Want me to go over and talk to your dad about letting you race?" he offers.

"You'd probably scare him away with your ham hands and your 'halitothith,'" she says, imitating her dad's voice, making herself grin.

His mouth twitches into a half-smile. "Well, there's gotta be some way for you to race."

She frowns again, staring at her boots as she taps the toes together. "He says he's a king and I should listen to whatever he says." She makes a face. "It's supposed to be a constitutional democracy, ga-doi!"

Ralph opens his mouth to speak - but it hangs open in silence as the two stare at each other and listen to the approaching sound.

An engine.

They remain silent and still as the engine sound gets louder until it sounds like it's right outside the house. It seems to pass them, but then it stops completely. Vanellope slides off the chair, sneaks her way over to the window. She lifts a corner of the curtain that Mary made for Ralph and peeks out the window. Her eyes widen when they spot the purple and yellow kart and the glimmer of a crown as someone enters the apartment building.

* * *

Felix has just sat down to a cup of chamomile tea when he hears knocking at the door. "Who could that be?" he wonders aloud, rising from his seat and going over to the door. He closes one eye and looks out the peephole, surprised at who he sees on the other side. "King Candy," he says, opening the door and smiling politely, "how can I help you, Your Majesty?"

Candy lifts his gaze, and Felix notices his eyes are red. "May I come in?" he asks in a small voice.

"Um, sure." Felix steps aside as the Sugar Rush-ian shuffles in. "Please sit down in the blue chair. Can I get you a refreshment?"

"No, thank you." Candy makes his way to the blue armchair and sits, keeping his eyes down and wringing his hands.

"Is something wrong?" Felix asks, coming over and sitting in the lower-back chair across from the king.

He inhales and exhales deeply through his nose before looking Felix straight in the eye and say, "How can I be a good father?"

Felix blinks and says, "Your Majesty, you're a great father."

"No, I'm not." Candy stares at his jingly shoes. "I try to keep my daughter happy and safe, but I can't protect her from getting hurt on the track and she hates me when I try." His voice cracks.

"She didn't get hurt, did she?" Felix asks.

Candy shakes his head. "She's fine."

"That's good," Felix says with a small grin. He'd hate to have to tell Ralph that the sweet little girl got hurt racing. Ralph would never admit it, but since last month, he's worried about Vanellope's safety, sometimes pacing in his own house whenever he heard about another accident on the track. His first impulse would be to go check on Vanellope, but Felix always talked him out of it - until last week, when they both went over to fix the karts and Swizzle's leg.

"Felix," Candy says, looking up into the fixer's blue eyes. Felix snaps out of his thoughts and looks at the king. "What if I messed up? What if she never talks to me again?"

"She will talk to you again." Felix shifts his position on the chair, but keeps his gaze. "Vanellope loves you." He remembers the day after the party, Vanellope told Ralph that she was going to spend every day with her dad, making up for the past sixteen years. Even though she said that Ralph would always be part of her family, there was no denying she was excited to have a dad.

Candy hangs his head. "After today, I'm not so sure about that."

Felix smiles kindly, places a hand on Candy's shoulder. "Don't worry, Your Majesty," the fixer assures. "No matter what happened, I'm sure she'll forgive you. Just give it some time."

A brief silence. "Even if what happened is really terrible and unthinkable?" Candy says in a quiet voice.

_What happened?_ Felix really wants to ask. Instead, he politely says, "I don't think what you did is that bad."

The older man watches his hands. "I said I would have her kart destroyed if she tried to race tomorrow."

Felix's jaw drops, his eyes bugged out, a hand still on the king's shoulder.

"I know, I know," Candy says in response to Felix's silence. He shrugs off the hand and draws into himself like a turtle. "I didn't mean to say it, it just came out in a rush. Before I could take it back, she drove away." He buries his face in his hands, muffling his voice when he says, "What kind of a father am I?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself, sir," Felix says, scooching a couple inches forward on his seat. "You were locked up for sixteen years. It's going to take some time before things get fully better. Just...let things calm down for a couple days, then explain everything to her."

Candy's not entirely sure, but he sniffs and meets the fixer's blue eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Felix flashes his signature grin.

The king smiles a little. "Thanks, Felix."

"No problem, Your Majesty."

"Please don't call me that," Candy says with a small, sad chuckle. "You know, I'm glad I talked to you. I originally wanted to talk to Ralph, but I saw Vanellope's kart outside and thought I wouldn't be welcome."

Felix smiles reassuringly at the older man and opens his mouth to say -

ACHOO!

Both of them turn their gazes towards Felix's window and see two familiar faces. Candy's heart skips a beat and he freezes as if caught doing something horrible. Felix hops off his chair and opens the window. "Ralph! Vanellope! What are you doing here?" he says.

"We weren't spying on you guys, if that's what you're saying," Vanellope says with her signature smirk, rubbing her nose with a hand.

"We heard Candy's kart enter the game," Ralph says, picking up Vanellope by the hood and setting her inside the room, "and we wanted to make sure everything was alright." He swings inside and lands behind the kid, making the room shake.

Pressing himself against the back of the seat, Candy asks, "How much did you hear?"

"Everything," Vanellope says, stuffing her hands in her pouch.

Candy whines, turning his head and hugging himself. He just wants to disappear.

"Why didn't you come over to Ralph's house? He doesn't smell that bad." Vanellope chuckles at her own joke, ignoring the wrecker's playful glare.

The king, however, frowns and squeezes his eyes shut, tucking his legs under him like a ball. "My dear, I'm so sorry, I never meant to intrude. I just wanted to talk to someone about...about what I did," he finishes quietly. He bites his lip to keep his emotions under control.

A hand patting his arm makes him look up to see Vanellope standing next to the chair, looking sympathetic. "It's okay," she says softly. "I know you didn't really mean it and were just looking out for me."

"But what I said was horrible-" his voice cracks, "-and you thought I was like...like _him_." He shudders and continues, "I don't want you to suffer anymore like when Turbo was around, and I never, ever want to see you hurt or upset." He cups her cheek. "I'd rather suffer another sixteen years in the fungeon if it meant you'd be happy and well."

She stares at him for a moment before moving his hand off her face, her eyes slightly narrowing. "Don't you ever say that again," she says. "Ever! You are _nothing_ like Turbo! He was a jerk who didn't care about anybody other than himself! You just got out of the not-so-fungeon, so don't expect you're gonna get over everything soon and be this perfect ruler and racer. I even had trouble adjusting to stuff after becoming president!"

"Really?" His voice sounds so small.

"Yeah, doi!" She steps in front of the chair. "I used to have really bad nightmares the first couple of months after I became a racer again. I still have them occasionally, but not as bad as those two months. It also took me a while to figure out to get used to compliments and nice things. Even last month, when I crashed Taffyta's kart, I thought she was gonna lose her strawberry cool, but she just said it wasn't my fault."

Candy stretches out his legs, but keeps hugging himself, rubbing his arms as he exhales through his nose.

"All you gotta do is give yourself a chance," Vanellope says, shrugging and smiling. "Things'll get better. You'll see."

"You really think so?" he says with a hint of a smile.

She makes an X over her chest and says, "Cross my heart, and hope to be pied."

He giggles softly. "So, do you forgive me?"

"Does this answer your question?" She climbs onto his lap and throws her arms around him, startling him for a moment before he wraps his arms around her, a loving grin on his face.

"Aww," Felix says, the scene before him giving him the honey glows. He hears a sniff, and looks up. "Ralph, are you crying?"

"Nah, I just, uh," the big lug says, dabbing at his eyes, "I just have something in my eye."

* * *

A light blinks and beeps.

Poor Surge growls and turns over on the small, white couch. He finally finds time to lay down and take a nap, and not even five minutes later, something has to wake him up. He curls up on his side facing the back of the couch, but after a minute of the constant beeping and flashing, gives up on trying to sleep. "This had better be important," he grumbles, rubbing his eyes before grabbing his glasses from the glass table in front of him. Barely even lifting his feet, he makes his way over to the wall with the noise and puts his glasses on to see which light dare keep him awake.

"Turbo/Candy."

Surge stares wide-eyed at the light, momentarily forgetting his exhaustion. Other than the one image last month of Turbo sitting on a sugary throne as himself, this light has remained relatively silent. "What do you have to show me?" the surge protector asks aloud, tapping the light.

A pixel ball appears in the middle of the room, the inner pixels slowly forming an image of Candy carrying an exhausted, tiny Vanellope down a hallway. He comes to two white chocolate double doors and shifts his little girl to his other shoulder, freeing his hand to open one of the doors and slip inside. Late afternoon light pours in through the floor-length, curtain-framed windows. He crosses the room, his shoes making soft jingles, and pulls back the pink sheets to lay little Vanellope down.

"Dad?" she says in a small voice, looking up at him with red eyes. "Will Mommy really get better?"

"Of course she will, my little vanilla bean," Candy says, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. He makes an X over his chest. "Cross my heart, and hope to be pied."

The little girl chuckles. "You'd look funny if you were pied."

The king gazes lovingly as he rubs her head. "Now, no more crying, my dear. Get some rest, and I'll come get you if Mommy feels better."

"You better," she says, frowning. "I want us all to go racing again."

"Me too, sweetheart," Candy says distractedly. "Me too." He keeps rubbing her head until she shuts her eyes and drifts off to sleep. He leans forward and kisses her on her forehead before rising and leaving the room. He shuts the door quietly and sighs heavily through his nose.

"Is she okay?"

Candy turns around to see Turbo and says, "She's fine now. She threw a fit when she heard her mother wasn't getting any better." He wrings his hands. "I'm not sure what to do."

Turbo maintains a steely look for another few moments before huffing and laying a hand on the king's shoulder. "Toddlers are hard to take care of sometimes. I should know: I had two to take care of." When Candy remains silent, he says, "It'll get better. You're lucky Vanellope doesn't throw fits as often."

"Turbo," Candy's chocolate brown eyes meet the other's eyes, "what if she doesn't make it through this? Last time I went to see her, she said her health was getting worse. How do you handle losing someone you love?"

The gray-skinned racer glares sadly. "I don't know. But I know you'll be able to handle it." He smirks and teasingly punches Candy's shoulder.

"Hehehe, you think so?" he asks with a smile, rubbing his shoulder.

Turbo makes an X over his chest. "Cross my heart, and hope to be pied."

The image fades as the ball disappears pixel by pixel. All Surge can do is stand there, staring at the space the pixel ball occupied, mouth hanging open. "What the...what?" He doesn't know what to say, what to think. Was Turbo actually nice in that "memory?" How does Vanellope have a mother?

Wait, when Sugar Rush was plugged in, Vanellope was already nine years old, and nowhere in her, or Candy's, or anyone else's backstories was Turbo in them. How does this fit in with the game?

**A/N: It's always nice seeing families get back together. :) Good thing, too, because our favorite racers will need to hold onto these ties in the upcoming chapters. What will become of poor Mister Sparks' home if these lights keep beeping? How will this affect our favorite arcadians?**

**Last chapter's phrase was "'Honey, honey,' nearly kill me," from the famous song "Honey, Honey." It took me a while to find a good phrase for this chapter, since nothing really fits in that well. I finally decided to make the phrase**** the same name as one of the chapters in "Connections." Another hint: Vanellope says this phrase when she's talking to her dad in Felix's apartment.**

**Good luck! And happy reading!**


	7. Dreams

Stephen wakes with a start, breathing heavily. He glances around in the dark a few times before realizing he's not in an abandoned building or falling through a portal - he's in his room. He sighs, rubs his face. It's been a long time since he's had that dream. He used to have it all the time after coming to this town, and now with the boss' scheme nearly complete, he's having it more and more. He reaches over and turns the lamp on. His old eyes squint at the clock under the lamp and sees it's 1:43. He sighs, glances over at the tattered journal resting on his nightstand. It's too early to do anything, and those old pages don't have any more useful information. Not until he returns home.

Images from his dream replay in his mind, and he feels guilty for the umpteenth time in his life. He shouldn't have interrupted that spell; he should've known the faceless man was their friend. The activation is coming up, but he's not sure what they'll find on the other side. Those two girls counted on him, trusted him to find help on this side and return with an army.

But thanks to him, there might not even be anything to return to. He lays back down, closes his eyes, and rubs his face. "Vanellope. Kairi," he whispers. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

_"Candy?"_

_He looks up from polishing the pure white kart to see her walking towards him in a simple blue dress with frosted adornments. She still looks radiant to him - but the look on her face makes him nervous. "Is everything alright, my love?" he says, getting to his feet and taking her hands._

_The soft breeze blows her pale blue, white-streaked hair away from her face, the sunlight makes her dark blue eyes sparkle. She opens her mouth, but after a few failed tries at speech manages to breathe, "I have something to tell you."_

_"Yes, what is it?"_

_Again, she can't find the words to say, and instead breathes a chuckle and stares at the ground._

_"Frostine, you know you can tell me anything," Candy says, holding both her hands in one of his while rubbing her pale cheek with his thumb._

_She looks back up at him and whispers, "I'm pregnant."_

He opens his eyes to a darkened room. His room. In the castle in Sugar Rush. Blinking a couple of times, he lifts a hand to his head. Who was that in his dream? "Frostine?" He'd never heard the name before.

And yet, it seems so familiar to him, makes his heart flutter and his cheeks warm.

Vanellope stirs right next to him. He turns his head to see her, but then she curls up, exhales, and settles back into a deep sleep. He smiles. Coming back from hanging out with Ralph, Felix, and Calhoun at Tapper's, she insisted that she sleep next to him tonight, to "make you feel better, Puffy-Pants." He chuckles at her nickname for him, reaching out and brushing black hair out of her face. _My little vanilla bean._

His hand falters. "Vanilla bean?" How'd he come up with that nickname? He shrugs it off, retracting his hand and turning his head to stare up at the ceiling. Unlike the fungeon and the rest of the castle, his ceiling is pale cotton-candy blue. He used to find comfort staring up at the unique color before drifting off to sleep. He gazes at it now, replaying the dream with the woman -

The woman. Frostine. Her hair was the same exact color as his ceiling. Is this how she felt familiar? Her white-streaked, cotton-candy hair flowing in the wind as she tells him she's pregnant?

Candy's eyes widen. If Frostine said she was pregnant, and if he called her "my love," then that made her Vanellope's mother. But in his backstory, her mother died shortly after she was born. He has no memories of his wife other than she died. He must've just had a livid dream. Yes, that's it. He shifts onto his side, curling up and blankly staring at the wall. He probably had one too many root beers at Tapper's and had a livid dream because of it.

But why does his heart flutter every time he thinks of her?

* * *

_"Kairi!"_

She shoots up in bed, that scream echoing in her head. That was the scariest dream she's had so far. She wants to go to Sugar Rush to talk to Vanellope about it - but when she left her game earlier, she saw the raven-haired girl with her father and friends going into Tapper's. Not wanting to disturb them, she went back inside her own game, chatting with Belle and Aurora a little before returning to her room. Even though the game says she's from Destiny Islands, her room's in Hollow Bastion.

The images from her nightmare swirl around in her mind. She would feel better talking to someone about it - but who else is there to turn to? Vanellope's the only one who knows she has bizarre dreams. Maybe a glass of water would help. Huffing, she slides off her bed and steps out of her room. She heads down hall after hall and turns into the kitchen.

"Whoa!" Sora says, jumping back so as not to bump into her. "Sorry about that, Kairi."

"It's okay." She nudges past Sora to get inside the kitchen.

He notices she has a worried look on her face, and he frowns. "Hey, uh, are you doing okay?" he says, stepping back inside.

"Yeah, why?" Kairi focuses on getting the glass from the cupboard and water from the dispenser on the fridge.

Sora rubs the back of his head. "You just seem a bit...anxious."

That word brings back images from her dream, making her tense for a second. "I've just had a lot on my mind." She takes a long sip from her glass before turning to face him.

He always thought of Kairi as happy, cheerful, carefree - the look he saw in her blue eyes is anything but. He's never seen her this serious - except for that one time last month. "Is this about you not wanting to be the damsel-in-distress?" he asks. "'Cause we can always find a way to-"

"It's not that," she snaps, whirling around. She frowns. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

Sora walks over to her, and she looks away. "C'mon, Kairi," he says, laying a hand on her shoulder "You can talk to me."

_How can he understand? _she thinks. _He's the hero; he's never been in a helpless situation_.

He sighs through his nose when she remains silent, eyes averted. He squeezes her shoulder before letting go. "Well, if you ever wanna talk to someone, I'm always here for you." He turns and walks to the door.

"Someone wanted to kill me."

He whirls around and freezes, a look of shock on his face. Kairi's solemn gaze meets his. "In my dream, I was with my grandma, running away from someone. I can't remember the details, but I remember the person chasing us saying he wanted to kill us. My grandma pulled me along behind her as we ran over to someone wearing armor holding a strange gun in their hands. They shot into open space, and a portal appeared. The guy chasing us grabbed my wrist, keeping me from going with my grandma, but she fought him. He let me go, and I just ran to the portal. I turned around to wait for my grandma, but the guy had her pinned to the ground, holding something over her head. The armor-guy grabbed my arm and pulled me through the portal when she screamed my name. Then I woke up."

Neither say a word. Sora blinks a couple times before breathing, "What kind of...who-"

"I've been trying to figure that out," Kairi interrupts, staring at her water. "I wanted to talk to Vanellope about it, but..."

"You talk to Vanellope a lot." Sora's blue eyes widen in realization. "Do you ever talk about to her about dreams?"

She hesitates before nodding. "Mmhmm."

"How often do-"

He shuts his mouth and they both freeze when they hear that familiar _boing boing_. "Hoo hoo hoo hoo!" Tigger bounces into the kitchen. "There you are, Sora!" he says with a lisp. He tackles the boy to the ground and cheerfully growls. "Whatcha doin', ol' chum?"

"Being a lazy bum," Kairi says with a smirk.

Sora grins at seeing Kairi back to her old self - sort of. He folds his hands behind his head. "I'm just chillin'."

"Without your good friend Tigger?" The tiger presses his huge, pink nose to Sora's.

Kairi finishes her water. "I'll leave you two friends, then," she says, stepping around them.

"Aw, dontcha wanna play, too?" Tigger turns to her, his mouth turned down in a frown, his eyes big and watery.

"Yeah, c'mon, Kairi," Sora adds. "This'll take your mind off that bad dream you had."

She turns away from them, allows her smile to fall. "Not this time, but maybe tomorrow?"

"Sure! Hoo hoo hoo!"

She feels Sora watching her as she steps into the hallway and walks away from the kitchen. She thinks it's sweet of him to care, but she doesn't want him involved in this. She and Vanellope want to figure this out on their own._  
_

Besides, how would he handle knowing the armored guy in her dream looked like a brown-haired Xehanort?

**A/N: Hope you guys like it so far! Hannah will come back in the next chapter to say goodbye to the arcadians - but don't worry, the story's not over yet. Hannah's too important a character, and the plot's just starting to thicken.  
**

**Last chapter's phrase was kinda tricky, and I'm sorry about that. It was "racer and ruler." This chapter's phrase should be easier: it's the name of someone from Candy Land. Good luck, and happy reading! :)**

**Oh, and Happy Halloween!**


	8. Christmas Exchange, Part 1

**A/N: Just a head's up that this chapter is gonna jump around a lot.**

BEEP! BEEP!

Hannah moans, the images of her dream fading away. She reaches out a hand, swatting the air a couple times before finding her clock and hitting the alarm button. She curls onto her side, wrapping the sheets around her like a cocoon, vaguely wondering why she set the alarm on a weekend.

Weekend. Saturday. Her eyes open and she shoots up in bed, a drowsy, sad smile on her face. "Today's the day," she mumbles, sliding off her bed and getting ready.

* * *

Stephen runs a hand through his hair as he exits his room, sighing through his nose. He couldn't go back to sleep last night, images from his dream still fresh in his mind. So, he occupied himself going over what he should tell the blonde girl. He'd love to tell her everything he knows, train her properly to be a surge protector.

But with both the boss and the businessman still at large, he has to be careful. Last time he revealed what he knew - to the boss, no less - it nearly cost Stephen his chance to return home. No, he'll just give her the present and give her the gist.

He sees the box he wrapped so carefully last night, waiting next to the old journal on the table by the front door. With apprehension racking his nerves, he picks up the gift, the journal, and the car keys. "Today's the day," he says, opening the door and crossing the threshold.

* * *

For the millionth time, the businessman straightens his suit in front of the bathroom mirror. He may not agree entirely with the boss' plans, but that's no excuse not to look his best. He would never admit it or show it, but the upcoming activation excites him. Who knows what lies on the other side?

His mind trails to Stephen, which bursts his bubble a bit. He remembered Stephen used to work at the company, so eager to share his ideas for various video games. Only the businessman, the boss, and a select few knew why Stephen was so keen on making these games, and where exactly the ideas for the games came from. He wonders what it would be like if Stephen had stayed at the company. Would they have done the activation sooner? Would Amelia have died the way she did? Would Litwak have known of any of this?

No, he can't think of this now. He shakes his head clear. He has a job to do. "Today's the day," he declares to his reflection, turning and grabbing last-minute items.

* * *

Litwak pulls into his usual spot and parks the car. Hannah's coming over soon, before her family takes off. He grabs her Christmas gift and gets out of his car, walking briskly up to the arcade doors. With the present tucked under an arm, his other hand fiddles with the keys on the keychain until he finds the one to unlock the doors. Once inside, he stands there for a moment, sighing and warming up. The arcadians he sees on the screens all look sad. They know very well what today is.

He smiles at them in greeting, but it feels fake to him, too cheery. He makes his way to his office and sets the gift on his desk. Litwak then checks his watch: it's 8:59. Hannah should be here in a few minutes.

There's a knock at the door.

"That can't be her already," Litwak mutters to himself. He steps out and sees Stephen at the door, a present in his hands. "Hey," Litwak says with a smile, going over and letting his friend in. "You're here early."

"I wanted to make sure I got to give Hannah her present before she left," Stephen says, not meeting Litwak's gaze.

"That's pretty nice of you."

Stephen mumbles a thanks, but he seems distracted by the games around them. His eyes linger on Sugar Rush before flickering to Kingdom Hearts.

Litwak's glad the games' logos are still up. He can only imagine what his friend would be like if he found out the games were alive. "Come on," he says, nodding his head at his office. "You can leave your gift in here for now."

"Okay." He follows his friend into the office and gently sets the present down on the desk. Under the present, he has been holding a journal.

"What did you get Hannah?" Litwak asks, taking off his heavy coat and draping it over the back of his chair.

"Oh, just something from my collection," Stephen says slowly. "And, uh, this is for you." He holds out the book. "Sorry I didn't have time to wrap it."

Litwak accepts a tattered journal, pages randomly sticking out. "Thanks?"

"Open it, but be careful."

He does - his eyes widen. He turns page after page. Figures and notes on Zangief, Frogger, Mario, Markowski...nearly every video game character in his arcade is in here. But the one thing that catches his attention is a page with Vanellope and Kairi drawn in the center, sloppy writing beneath it saying, "I must find these two before they ruin my plans any more."

"Larry?" Stephen says softly.

Litwak snaps out of his thoughts, looks up at his friend, a confused expression on his face. "What is this?" he asks, lifting up the journal.

"That," Stephen says slowly, "belongs to a man named Xehanort."

"Xehanort, the bad guy from Kingdom Hearts?"

"No...the real guy from my home."

* * *

Hannah drums her fingers on top of the present in her lap as she stares out the window, stifling a yawn. She wishes she could've slept in longer, but she had to finish her gift. She closes her eyes and presses her forehead to the chilly window.

"We're here," her father says a minute later.

"Mmhmm." She lifts her head and rubs her eyes under her glasses before opening the door and carefully stepping out so as not to upset or knock over any of the cardboard boxes taking up the rest of the back of the car. She hears her parents getting out of the car as she trudges to the front door. She stifles a groan. Her parents were nice enough to let her visit for seven minutes; she can live with them coming in to "keep an eye on her."

She tucks the present under one arm as she opens the door with the other hand. All the game screens show logos or demos, but she doesn't see any sign of Litwak. "Mister Litwak?" she calls out. It's quiet. She takes another step inside.

"Hannah?" Litwak briskly steps out of his office but stops short when he sees the family. Stephen follows behind him. Both of them stare at Hannah.

"I wanted to give you your gift," she says unsurely, her blue eyes shifting from one man to the other.

"Oh, right." Litwak shakes his head as if in a daze. "I have your gift in here."

"I have something for you, too," Stephen says as Litwak goes back into his office.

"Hannah, do you know this man?" her mom asks, shifting closer and laying a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"A little." Embarrassed, she shakes her mom's hand off.

Stephen opens his mouth to say something, but then shoves his hands in his pockets and looks away.

Litwak emerges with two boxes in his hand. "Here you go, Hannah," he says with a smile.

She beams back. "Here's yours." The two switch packages and sit down at the nearest table. Mr. and Mrs. Grace give Stephen a suspicious look before watching their daughter.

Stephen takes one hand out of his pocket and rubs his face. How is he going to talk to Hannah now?

* * *

"C'mon, Dad!" Vanellope says, screeching to a stop and glitching out of her Second Chance and over to the jumbotron. "Hannah might be there already!"

Candy parks his kart next to his daughter's. "We'll get a chance to talk to her, my dear," he says, joining her by the huge screen. "Don't worry."

"I just can't believe she's leaving us!" Vanellope bounces up and down, staring at the screen, willing it to change to see her friend.

"Hello," Citrusella calls out as she and a few other racers drive up to the duo. "Are you waiting for Hannah?"

"What makes you say that?" Vanellope says, sneaking a playful glare before gluing her eyes back on the jumbo screen.

Candy chuckles. "It's all she's been talking about since she woke up this morning."

The other racers and citizens trickle in, and they all strike up conversations to pass the time. Except for Vanellope. She focuses on the screen to keep her mind from wandering to that weird dream she had last night. It wasn't scary, but...she was in a dark building with Kairi, and they both were talking to a man about finding help. When she woke up from that dream, she had the bizarrest feeling that Hannah was that help she and Kairi were talking about. But why would they need her help?

And who the heck is Stephen?

* * *

"Thanks for the picture of all the arcadians, Mister Litwak," Hannah says, giving the old man a hug.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," he says, returning the gesture. "I liked the Tiny Tim CD you made. How did you know he's my favorite singer?"

"Considering your ringtone is Tiptoe Through the Tulips," she smirks, backing away, "it wasn't that hard to figure out."

He laughs and rubs his nose. "Nothing gets past you. Oh, before I forget!" He pushes the last gift towards her, the one from Stephen. "Wait a moment before opening that," he mutters under his breath. He then turns to her parents. "So, Mister and Missus Grace, can I get you anything to drink, maybe a soda or-"

"No, thanks," Mr. Grace says, checking his watch. "It's actually about time for us to hit the road."

"What?" Hannah, Litwak, and Stephen say at the same time.

"Can't I stay to open one more present?" Hannah asks, holding up the blue and silver box.

"Hannah, we made a deal," her mom reminds her.

Stephen closes his eyes, breathes deeply, reminds himself that he's come so far. He can't mess up now. He opens his eyes and says, "Ma'am, I understand your concern, but it would be best for Hannah to stay a little longer."

"Don't tell me what's best for my own daughter!" Mrs. Grace says, narrowing her blue eyes at him. She steps towards him and points an accusing finger at him. "You don't know anything about her, so don't think you can just come in here and decide what she should do!"

"I'm only trying to help," Stephen replies with as much calm as he can muster.

Mr. Grace interrupts to support his wife, but then Litwak steps in to side with Stephen. Hannah watches and listens for a couple seconds before turning to the present and undoing the silver ribbons. She rips the paper off and opens the box.

At first, she thinks there's a huge, skinny, black and white cy-bug inside, but after a moment recognizes it as a sort of gun. There are buttons near where the trigger is, and there's a small screen that's dark right now. Hannah brushes her fingers over the buttons, wondering what they're for. She looks inside the box for some kind of instructions - all she finds is a note: "This should help you get between places quicker. Stephen."

"What the heck?" Hannah sets the note down, stares at the gun before tapping a button.

The letter "S" appears on the screen.

Hannah gets excited. She loves figuring things out on her own. After a minute, she manages to spell out "Sugar Rush" in digital letters using the black buttons. _If only I could show them this_, she thinks. _Vanellope would go crazy._ She smiles sadly.

"Hannah!"

She startles and fumbles with the gun, glancing at her parents - at the same time she pulls the trigger. In a flash of bright blue light, Hannah disappears, making everybody gasp.

**A/N: Last chapter's phrase was Frostine, the Queen of the Ice Cream Soda Seas in the old board game "Candy Land." Congrats to Moon Scorpion for figuring it out! :) This chapter's phrase was suggested by DMysterious. Thanks, dude! :) The hint for this chapter's phrase is: famous male falsetto singer. He shares the same name as the little boy from _Christmas Carol_.**

**Remember, you can always send me a PM and request a phrase. Good luck guessing, and happy reading!**


	9. Christmas Exchange, Part 2

**A/N: I hope you guys are liking it so far! And kudos to Purest of the Hearts for guessing the Portal reference. :)**

**Last chapter's phrase, courtesy of DMysterious, was "Tiny Tim." This chapter's phrase relates to Neverland. Cheers!**

**And Happy New Year!**

"Intruder alert!"

The surge protector jumps at the sound. He's never heard that one before - he ignores the fact it sounds exactly like his own voice to examine the light flashing furiously on the wall. "Sugar Rush?" he says aloud. "What's happened there?" He taps the light, and a pixel ball forms in the middle of the room, showing everyone's surprised faces staring at...a little blonde girl?

* * *

Hannah blinks to clear her vision. "Whoa, that was really bright," she says aloud, lifting a hand to rub her eyes. "Mom, did you really have to scare me like-" She stops talking when she sees the building-high screen in front of her. On it is the Sugar Rush logo reversed, and behind it is the inside of the arcade. "Huh?" She steps closer to the screen, reaches a hand up.

"Hannah?"

She jumps and turns around, seeing every Sugar Rush-ian, racer and citizen alike, staring at her with wide eyes. "Whoa," she says again. "What are you all doing here?"

"We race here," Taffyta says as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Just then, Hannah notices the chocolate hills in the distance and the lollipop beds lining the track. "Wait, is this Sugar Rush? How did-"

"You're here!" Vanellope cheers, running up to the confused girl and throwing her arms around her in a hug. "You're here, you're here, you're here!"

"Er, yeah, I'm here," she says, not quite believing it herself.

"You just appeared in a flash of light," Swizzle says.

"Can you show me how to do that?" Candlehead asks.

The other racers spew questions as they swarm around Hannah. "Alright, kids," Candy says, waving his hands at them, "let's give her some room. Heh heh."

"Dude, this is so cool!" Hannah says, nearly dropping the gun in her excitement. "I'm actually inside a game? How's that even possible?"

"Hannah," Stephen's voice says, the jumbotron's screen glitching a little as the logo disappears and Stephen's face appears close-up. "Hannah, can you hear me?"

"Sure, I can," she says, stepping back so she can see the whole screen.

"Good, now-"

"These games are alive?" her dad says, shoving Stephen aside and taking up the whole screen.

Her mom also comes into view. "Hannah, honey, are you alright?" she asks.

"I'm fine, Mom," she grumbles.

"Sweetheart, come out of there right now!" her dad says.

"I don't know how!"

Vanellope says, "How did you even get in here?"

Shrug. "I dunno."

Stephen sighs. "You typed something into the device, didn't you?" he says, rubbing his eyes under his glasses.

Everyone looks at him. "Yeah, why?" Hannah says.

He mumbles something incoherent, then drops his hand and looks at her intently. "Miss, just type 'Litwak's Arcade' and get yourself back here so we can figure something out."

"How do you know all this?" her mom says, glaring at him.

The adults go back to bickering onscreen, but Hannah looks down at the gun. "How does that work?" Vanellope asks.

Hannah shows the president the black buttons. "I just press these, and I think I pull this." She taps a finger on the trigger.

"Ooh, cool," the raven-haired girl says, grinning. "Can I see it?"

"Uh, my dear," Candy says, watching Hannah hold the gun out for Vanellope to inspect, "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Aw, you worry too much," Vanellope says, tapping a few buttons.

"I agree with King Candy," Citrusella says, rubbing her arm. "We don't even know what that thing is for."

"So?" Vanellope taps a few more buttons, spelling out her name on the screen. "It's all just for fun." She hits another button, which clears the screen. She then types out "Litwak's Arcade."

Candy holds his hands out. "Sweetheart, be careful."

"I'm just typin' stuff here. It's not like it's gonna-"

A flash of light appears when she pulls the trigger. When the light vanishes, so do she and the gun.

* * *

Litwak is the first one to notice the flash of light and see Vanellope and the gun appear in the room. The gun falls to the ground, since Hannah is no longer holding onto it. "Vanellope?" Litwak blurts out. The other adults stop fighting and stare at the flickering image of the raven-haired girl scooping up the black-and-white device.

"What?" Stephen says. "How's that possible?"

"Hey, you're the one who said to type in 'Litwak's Arcade' and pull the trigger," the girl retorts. "You should know."

"Vanellope?" Candy calls out. "Vanellope, where are you?"

"I'm here, Dad," she says, sliding into one of the console seats. "Whoa, you guys look so tiny in there." She taps the screen.

Candy stares horrified at the jumbotron. How could this have happened? "Vanellope, my dear, listen to me: come back now!"

Vanellope bites her lip, but she does a bad job at hiding her smirk. "I'm sorry, it's just you look funny being so tiny."

"Kid?" Ralph's voice calls out.

She turns her head. Her hazel eyes widen. "Whoa," she breathes, hopping out of the seat and going up to the console for Fix It, Felix Jr. "It's so weird seeing you on this side of the screen, Stinkbrain."

"Kid, what happened to you?" Ralph says, he and Felix both standing on the roof of the Nicelander building and looking worried. "Why are you outside the screen like a gamer?"

"It's this weird gun thing," Vanellope says, holding up the device.

"Let me see that!" Mr. Grace says, hurrying over and snatching the gun.

"Hey, let go, mister!" the kid says, keeping a grip on the device.

"Honey," Mrs. Grace says warningly, stepping towards the duo.

"Stay out of this, Karen," he snaps, trying to tug the device out of the kid's hands.

Stephen stares in horror. "Will you just stop?" he shouts.

The two jerk back - and pull apart the gun.

"No!" Stephen says, running up to the group and taking a piece of the barrel from Mr. Grace. "What have you done?"

They grimace and say, "Sorry."

"How's Hannah going to fight Xehanort now?"

Everybody stares at him, and some of the arcadians appear in their screens to stare at the strange man. "What do you mean, how's Hannah going to fight now?" her mom, Karen, says, her eyes narrowing and fingers twitching.

Hannah stares at the jumbotron in shock, but all she can see is Litwak staring at whom she guesses is Stephen. "Is that why you gave me that gun thing?" she says.

"What did you do with our daughter?" her mother screams, lunging at him. He cowers back, but Mr. Grace wraps his arms around his wife to keep her from doing something crazy.

"I didn't think she'd learn how to use the portal gun so quickly!" he says. "And I certainly didn't think Vanellope could leave her game! That's not how the games were supposed to be programmed!"

Vanellope stares at Steven. _He programmed our games?_

Mrs. Grace, still struggling to break out of Mr. Grace's hold and punch Steven in the face, shouts, "You had something to do with this! You did this to Hannah!"

"Would you rather she die?" Steven says, narrowing his eyes. That was enough to make the parents stop fighting, but they still glare daggers. Steven continues, "If I didn't give Hannah the portal gun now and teach her how to use it, we all could be dead. Don't you understand? There are things going on that you don't know about!"

"Like what?" Mr. Grace says.

Karen Grace glowers at Litwak. "Did you know about any of this?" she snaps.

"Leave him alone," Stephen says, holding an arm out in front of his friend defensively. "He didn't know anything until I told him this morning. And all you need to know is Hannah's the only one who can do anything about this mess we're in."

Everyone inside Sugar Rush turns to Hannah, who just shrugs.

"Leave our daughter out of this," Mr. Grace seethes, leaning forward into Stephen's face and making him lean back.

Stephen opens his mouth to speak - something outside the glass door catches his eyes, and his expression morphs from anger to horror. "Oh, no."

"What's wrong?" Litwak asks. He looks out through the glass - he sees a black car pulling into the parking lot. His heart thumps. "I completely forgot!" He turns from the glass and stares at Vanellope.

"Forgot what?" she asks, fidgeting under the uncomfortable feel of Litwak's stare.

"It's him!" Stephen hisses. He hurries to the back and disappears through the door to the kitchen, but not before calling over his shoulder, "If you care about Hannah and the arcade, don't let him know I was here!"

"There's a reason I don't like video games," Karen says.

"Hey!" Vanellope says, narrowing her eyes.

"Guys, please not now," Litwak says, one hand on his hip and the other clutching his hair. He glances back out the front door. "I completely forgot. The businessman said he was coming by to inspect the place."

"Do you usually have inspections?" Mr. Grace asks dismissively.

Litwak ignores the harsh tone and turns to the adults. "I don't know why, but that man's been coming every week since last month."

Vanellope's eyes flicker to her game before finding Kingdom Hearts right behind it. She never knew she and Kairi were so close.

"He was supposed to come today, too," Litwak continues, "but if he sees Vanellope outside her game or Hannah inside Sugar Rush, who knows what he'd do with the arcade!"

"You're more concerned over your _business_," Karen says, "than our _daughter?_"

"Hey, leave him alone," Vanellope says, dropping her half of the used-to-be portal gun and storming over to the adults. She points a finger at them. "You don't know what it's been like in this arcade. We almost got our game unplugged last month! Litwak's just trying to protect us!"

Hannah's parents look down their noses at her. "Video games shouldn't be alive in the first place," Mr. Grace says.

Hannah cringes, wishing she could just disappear right now. She had never told the arcadians how much her parents hated games, and she's embarrassed that they had to find out this way. She hangs her head and hugs herself.

The one who breaks the awkward silence is Litwak, again. "Please, Mister and Missus Grace," he says, "don't tell anyone about the games being alive. I don't want anything to happen to them."

"What about Hannah?" her father says. "How are you going to get her out and return this one?" He waves a hand towards Vanellope.

She's never wanted so badly to slap someone.

The businessman parks his car.

"Please, just listen," Litwak says to the parents. "I'm in charge of all the games here, and the people in them, and if that businessman finds out they're alive, he could very well shut the place down." He ignores the gasps and murmurs coming from the consoles and continues, "Help me hide Vanellope, and I promise you don't ever have to worry about this place again."

"What about Hannah?" Mr. Grace says.

"You don't have to worry about me," Hannah says. "I'm fine." Though a small part of her wonders if she'll ever get out of the console. She places her hands on the jumbotron screen. "Just keep the arcade safe."

"You, too, Hannah?" her mom says, giving her such a look of disappointment that Hannah backs away from the screen.

Candy feels sorry for the girl, but he comes up to the screen and says, "Vanellope, sweetheart, where are you?"

"I'm right here, Dad," she says in the same exasperated tone as Hannah. She comes into view of the screen.

He lays a hand on the screen, wishing he could reach through the screen and touch her shoulder. "My dear, how are you going to get back?"

"Easy, we just fix that gun-thing." Her hazel eyes light up and she opens her mouth to speak, but then her smile fades and she slouches. "Aw, fudge. Felix can't fix the gun, he's stuck inside his game."

"Believe me, little miss," Felix calls out from his game, "if I could fix it I would." He wrings his hat in his hands. Ralph pats him on the shoulder, though he himself frowns.

Litwak gasps when the businessman steps out of his car and grabs something from the back seat. "We'll fix the portal gun later," he tells them. "Just take Vanellope with you."

"No!" Candy shouts.

"I'm not leaving without my daughter," Karen says.

"Neither am I," her husband, crossing his arms.

"Then rent a hotel room and stay around here. She's not going anywhere any time soon." Litwak's blue eyes flicker out the glass door before giving the parents a pleading look. "I'll call Stephen afterwards and have him fix the gun. Just please, go!"

Knowing they could come back to collect their daughter from a game brought little comfort to the Graces. And Candy was still screaming for Vanellope to stay.

Vanellope is the first one to spot the businessman a few yards from the front door. If Litwak doesn't trust him, neither should she. She slips behind Mr. Grace and pulls her hood over her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the Sugar Rush logo appear on the screen again, but not before she sees her dad's hurt expression.

The adults are so immersed in their staring contest they don't realize the businessman is here until he knocks on the door and makes them jump. Litwak slips a smile onto his face, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "Hey there," he says, opening the door. "You're just in time."

"I'm a few minutes late," the businessman curtly replies. He notes the Graces' wary expressions as he steps inside. "What was going on before? I could have sworn it seemed like you three were fighting."

Is Vanellope imagining it, or did the man sound like he wanted them to be fighting?

"No, no," Karen says coolly. "We're just fine. Right, Peter?"

"Of course," Mr. Grace says.

"Hmm." The businessman regards them for a second before taking a card out of his breast pocket and hands it to them. "If you do have any complaints about the management or anything at all regarding the arcade, don't hesitate to call me."

"There's nothing wrong here," Vanellope blurts out, marching out from behind Peter Grace, who grabs her shoulder and pulls her back behind him. She involuntarily glitches a little, but it was so small she hopes the businessman didn't notice.

"Who's this?" He peers around Mr. Grace to better see her.

"This is our...daughter, Penelope," Peter says.

"Vanellope," she hisses under her breath.

Karen waves a hand as if to silence her.

"You don't have to be shy, little girl," the businessman coos in a sickly sugary tone. "I don't bite."

She hides further behind Mr. Grace, but only so she won't have the urge to spit retorts in his face.

"We really should be going now," Karen says, after receiving an impatient glance from Litwak. "C'mon, honey." She motions for Vanellope to follow her.

"'Kay, _Mom_." She only takes one step before she freezes in place, her eyes glazing over as they stare off into the distance.

The four adults stare at the kid, but no one knows why she's just standing in place. "Um...Penelope?" Peter says, softly nudging the kid's shoulder.

She gasps and jumps - and glitches. She clutches her head, unaware of the others' shock. Her hood fell off. She quickly grabs it and yanks it over her head, ignoring the pulsing headache beginning to form.

"What did you just..." The businessman can't even finish his thought.

Peter and Karen exchange glances before quickly ushering Vanellope out the door. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Litwak!" Peter calls out as the door shuts behind them.

Before Litwak can say anything, the businessman turns to him and demands, "Who is that girl?"

He blinks. "You heard what her parents called her: Penelope. She's at the arcade a lot."

"And has she ever...shimmered like that?"

"No, not that I'm aware of."

The businessman cocks an eyebrow.

Litwak glares at him. "Look, any conditions the arcade people have is none of my business and it shouldn't be any of yours."

"I see." He takes his clipboard from under his arm - but instead of taking his pen and jotting something down, he looks back up at Litwak. "That should be all. Thank you for your time, Mister Litwak."

"That's it?" Litwak asks in disbelief as the businessman turns to leave. "You don't need to check anything else or ask me any more questions?"

"No, no, it's alright," the man says without glancing back. "You'll be hearing from us again soon." He slips out the door and walks to his black car.

It's only then that Litwak hears the soft sobbing coming from Sugar Rush.

* * *

Suspicions form in the businessman's mind as he pulls out of the parking lot and heads back to the company. He's sure Litwak and those parents were fighting about something, but what? And that girl, Penelope...she looks a lot like Vanellope.

But that's impossible. Stephen himself said that Vanellope couldn't cross over due to that spell. And yet...that girl could be her twin. The boss would want to know about her. And that weird flickering thing she did, too.

He just hopes none of this affects the activation. The company's spent too much time and energy programming those games in a specific way to let everything go to waste just because of one little girl.


	10. Something's Wrong

"Don't cry, Your Majesty," Sticky says, she and Citrusella coming over to the heartbroken king.

He sniffs, but doesn't look up from his hands, sliding down the jumbotron until he's on the ground. "V-Vanellop-pe's go-one," he sobs.

Hannah feels sorry for King Candy, but she doesn't join the other racers as they gather around the old man. "It's gonna be okay," Jubileena says, offering a meager smile and patting his shoulder.

It does not cheer him up. Candy sniffs again and rubs his eyes. "H-How could I lose her again?"

"It's not your fault she's gone," Gloyd says.

"You're right." He glares and points at Hannah. "It's yours."

"Me?" she says, taking a step back. "What did I do?"

Candy gets to his feet, and the kids part as he makes his way to the blonde girl. "You brought that gun here. You're the reason my daughter is outside the game with no way to get home!"

"Well, Litwak said that Stephen guy could fix the gun," Hannah says, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose with a finger. "He can return her here and get me back out."

"And until then," Candy continues, unshed tears shining in his eyes, "she's out there along with who-knows-what and a man who could shut down the arcade!"

"She'll be fine." Hannah suppresses the urge to roll her eyes. She feels like she's arguing with her parents again. "Just trust her a bit. And that businessman-"

"How do I know she'll be safe and sound?" he interrupts.

Before Hannah can snap at him, Citrusella says, "If Hannah says it's fine, maybe we should trust her. She is from there after all."

"Besides," Hannah adds, tucking her hair behind her ear, "it's not like she ran away from Sugar Rush or anything, so you know she...um, guys?" she says softly when everyone, racer and citizen alike, freezes in place, their eyes glazing over. She says a little louder, "Hello?"

Candy is the first one to snap out of the trance. He tries to glare at her, but he's too miserable to look angry. "I feel..." He blinks and looks down at the ground. "I feel like this has happened before."

She has no idea how to respond to that. Have arcadians ever crossed over before? But why did everyone look so surprised when Vanellope did it? "When did people cross over?" she asks.

The king gives her a look. "Cross over?"

"You know, crossing from the game world to the real world, and vice versa?"

"No one's ever crossed over before Vanellope."

Now it's Hannah's turn to look confused. "But I thought you said-"

An electric blue letter appears in between them, making Hannah gasp. Candy grabs the letter and pours over it, his eyebrows turned down. "Hmm."

"Is that from the surge protector?" Tori asks. Hannah looks around and sees the people either out of the trance already or just snapping out of the trance. She wonders how often this happens.

"It is, my dear," Candy says. He reads the last bit before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath in and out. "Alright," he says, opening his eyes, "I have to go meet with the surge protector. The rest of you can do whatever you want." He takes a step towards the purple-and-yellow kart.

"Wait a minute," Candlehead asks. Candy stops but doesn't turn around. "Wasn't Vanellope on the roster for today? What are we gonna do about that?" The green-haired girl is unaware of her friends staring at her in disbelief and exasperation.

Still facing towards the kart, Candy replies, "Figure something out. Hannah and I will be back soon."

"Wait, me?" She points towards herself, her blue eyes wide.

"Of course you," he snaps, sliding into his kart. "He wants to talk to you, too. Well, come on," he adds when Hannah just stands there. "He's expecting us."

"Okay." Hannah avoids glancing at everyone as she walks up to and climbs into the kart. _It feels like I'm starting a new school again._ She pushes the many memories from her mind as Candy starts driving. As they drive, she spots a giant soda bottle mountain. She never knew there was one in the game. It isn't part of the race, and she can't see it from the jumbotron when she chats with the arcadians. She stares at it as they drive down the road and up the rainbow bridge. She gasps in amazement when she sees the whole of the game world at the top of the bridge - so huge, so colorful, so much that's not part of the race! All too soon, it shrinks to a dot as they zoom down the dark power cord.

It feels weird to Hannah to travel through wires. She'd thought she'd be electrocuted, but nothing happens as they drive through. In no time at all, they screech to a stop outside the wire tunnel. She gazes around at the brick graffiti-ed walls and short stairs. _Am I back in New York?_ But then she sees game references in the graffiti, things only the arcadians would know, and decides this is not Grand Central Station.

"Let's go," Candy says, sliding out of the kart and walking down the short hallway. Hannah scrambles out of the kart and catches up to him. She begins to admire the huge room they're entering.

BEEP BEEP!

She jumps when an electric blue man appears with a clipboard and pen. "Thank you for coming," he says, clicking his pen on. "I have something to discuss with you both, but I'd like to ask the young lady some questions first."

"Certainly," Candy says, stepping to the side.

"First, name?"

Silence.

"Miss, your name?"

Both men stare at Hannah, who is staring at the surge protector right now. "Oh, my God," she breathes.

The men exchange glances before Surge clears his throat. "Miss?"

"Mister Sparks?"

"That's what Vanellope calls me." But Surge is thinking, _How did she know that?_

Hannah blinks. "Wait, how'd you end up inside the games, too? I thought you had to fix the gun first."

"Gun?" His brow furrows. "I don't possess any-"

Both Hannah and King Candy gasp and back away when the surge protector glitches and sputters. The clipboard drops to the ground as he grabs his head, the flickering coming to a stop. He squeezes his eyes shut as he doubles over, crying out in pain.

"Are you alright?" Candy asks, laying a hand on the man's back.

All he does in response is massage his head and say, "Unh, what just happened?"

"Dude, you started glitching," Hannah says, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Is that normal around here?"

"No, it's not normal," Surge says, hissing once as he bends down to pick up the clipboard. Candy backs away from him as he straightens. "In fact, that's why I wanted to talk to the both of you: something is very wrong in the arcade. It's been going on for a month now, starting around the time of the party for you and Vanellope." He gestures to Candy.

The king remembers that day well. As the party was coming to a close, he noticed his daughter chatting with Kairi in hushed tones as they made their way to the front doors. "Did anything happen to her?" he says, sticking his nose in the other guy's face. "She wasn't hurt, was she? What-"

"Calm down, Your Majesty," Surge says, leaning away from the old man and straightening his tie. "Nothing happened to her - at least, not physically."

Candy chuckles hysterically. "What do you mean, 'not physically?' If you know something, hehe, that happened that day-" he grabs Surge by the collar, "-you'd better tell me!"

"Easy, Your Majesty!" The surge protector frees himself and backs away. "You'll find out soon enough. I just need you both to come with me to the archiving code."

Candy freezes, remembering the last time he was in Surge's home.

Hannah stops fiddling with her clothes and says, "What's the archiving code?"

"It's my home," the protector tells her. "It stores all the information within the arcade - only some of the information's gotten mixed up, and I can't figure out why. But I know it started going haywire around the time of your party-" he points at Candy, then at Hannah, "-and it got exponentially worse right after you showed up. I'm not sure what the connection is, but that's why I need to talk to you. However," he adds, making the clipboard vanish in a flash of electricity, "this might take some time, and you might not make it back by the time the arcade opens, Your Majesty."

King Candy feels like the day couldn't get any worse, but he nods solemnly. "I understand."

_Whoa_, Hannah thinks. _I've never seen this side of him before._ She stares at Surge's hand when he offers both of his to them. Candy takes one, and the men look at her. _Oh._ She hesitates before reaching out and grabbing his hand.

ZAP!

**A/N: Phew, this past month has been busy! But I finally got this done! :)**

**I admit that last chapter's phrase was tricky. I'm trying out how easy or not the phrases should be. What do you think? Anyway, last chapter's phrase was Peter, the hero from Neverland. The phrase for this chapter is: when Candy is venting at Hannah, he says the name of a song by Capital Cities. Another hint is, "Even if the sky is falling down, I know that we'll be _." Good luck!**


	11. In the Real World

**A/N: I'm so, so sorry this chapter is late! I know I promised you guys I would post within 1-2 months of the last chapter, but life got crazy and things are piling up before graduation, so unfortunately I don't have as much time to work on fanfics. :( I'm not gone forever, just until things settle down.**

Vanellope can't wait to get out of the car. "We're here!" she shouts joyfully, slamming the door and admiring the front door of the building.

Peter and Karen sit a moment in the car as Vanellope bounces in excitement, glitching one moment. "What are we going to do with her?" Karen whispers to her husband.

"Give me a moment," he says, rubbing his head. "I'm still trying to recover from all her hyper squealing."

Karen frowns. "Hopefully she can learn to act like a normal kid and fit in."

"And that she won't do anything illegal." When he sees the look on his wife's face, Peter says, "She went on and on about how she used to race every day. What kind of parent lets their nine-year-old child race a car?"

BEEP! BOOP! BEEP! BOOP!

"Great," he mutters under his breath, quickly undoing his seat belt and scrambling out of the car. His wife joins him as he pries Vanellope away from the truck whose alarm she set off.

"Hey! Let me go!" she says, pushing against Peter's arms.

"Pipe down, will you?" he hisses. He sets her down when they're near the building door.

She straightens her hoodie. "Jeez, you could be a soldier with those arms."

"I am a soldier."

She looks over his jeans, sneakers, T-shirt, and jacket. "No you're not," crossing her arms. "Real soldiers wear heavy metal armor and carry big guns around, g'doi."

"I don't like that attitude, young lady," he says, wagging a finger at her. "And no soldier would carry any kind of weapon with them in a civilian area - especially around children."

"Well, that's silly." Vanellope laughs. "The guys from Hero's Duty keep their weapons when we hang out after hours."

"They could be arrested for that," Karen says, crossing her arms.

"Why? Calhoun said it's always best to be prepared," the little racer tells them, stuffing her hands in her pouch. "No one wants another cy-bug incident."

"What are cy-bugs?" Karen asks. Vanellope tells them about the cyber creatures and the incidents last year and last month. The adults' jaws drop and their eyes bug out. "And that game still exists?"

"We were right to keep Hannah away from video games," Peter says, turning to his wife. "These games are too dangerous for kids."

"It's just a game!" Vanellope snaps and narrows her eyes. "There's nothing to worry about!"

"Our daughter is trapped inside one of those games!" Peter glares at her. "She could be facing those cy-bugs right now - or worse - and you're telling us there's nothing to worry about?"

A black car passes them, but it's a Hyundai Elantra instead of the businessman's car. Nevertheless, it reminds the three about the present danger. "Let's get inside quick," Karen suggests. "We can decide what to do in our hotel room."

Peter opens the door and ushers them inside. The adults walk up to the main desk and start talking to the concierge. Vanellope makes to follow them, but spots a kid sitting alone on a couch in the lobby. A red headband holds back her blonde hair, and her brown eyes stare sadly at the floor. Padding over to her, Vanellope says, "Hi."

The girl startles and looks up at her. "Oh, hi," she mumbles, her eyes trailing back down.

"Can I sit here, too?"

"Yeah, sure." The girl scooches over several inches, and Vanellope plops down on the open cushion.

Since the girl doesn't seem too keen on talking, the little president glances around the room. Other than Hannah's parents talking to the concierge, there aren't any other adults in the lobby. "Are you here by yourself?" she asks, turning to the blonde girl.

She shakes her head, avoiding Vanellope's eyes. "My mom's in one of the conference rooms over there." She limply waves a hand in that direction. "I don't wanna be in there."

Vanellope cranes her neck out to get a good look of the room across the way, but the door is shut, and she can only catch glimpses of heads through the door window. "Why not? Did your mom do something bad?" she blurts out. She remembers her dad not letting her race and of thinking him a bad guy in that moment.

The girl shakes her head again. "I don't think so," she says softly. "It's mostly my dad."

"What about him?"

She hugs herself tight. "He's kinda scary," she whines. "The things he used to talk about..." She turns away from Vanellope. "Mom says Dad spends too much time around those video games, but-"

"Playing video games isn't that bad," the Sugar Rush-ian says defensively.

The blonde pre-teen looks back at her. "He doesn't play them. He makes them."

Stephen Sparks is the first thing to come up in Vanellope's mind. She opens her mouth to ask -

"Penelope," Karen says, coming over to the kids, "we're heading up to our room now."

"Okay," she says, pulling her hood over her head before settling into her seat.

"You're coming, too," Mrs. Grace says when the racer makes no show of moving.

"Why?"

Indignant, Karen replies, "Because we're all going up to our room now. We're not leaving you behind."

"Fine." Vanellope pushes herself up, stuffs her hands in her pouch, and trails behind the adults. She turns back to the girl on the couch and chirps, "I'll see ya around."

"Sure," the girl mumbles, glancing up at her. "See you."

When the three pile into the elevator, Karen says, "You need to stay close by us and not wander off."

"All I did was sit next to another kid and talk to them," Vanellope says, tilting her head to see the adults.

"Just tell us next time," Peter adds. "Just because we don't like video games doesn't mean we're not gonna do our best to protect you from whatever concerns Litwak."

"How can you not like games? They're so much fun!"

"They're dangerous," Karen says. "In more ways than one."

Vanellope grunts and furrows her brow, staring at the floor. She can't believe these are Hannah's parents: they're total opposite of her!

DING!

The elevator door slides open, and she grudgingly follows the grown-ups out and down a hall. The closer she steps towards the hotel room, the more she wishes she were back in Sugar Rush, where everything seemed much more simple.

* * *

"Are you sure?" the boss asks, sitting ramrod-straight in his black swivel chair.

"I'm pretty sure, sir," the businessman says. "The resemblance was uncanny. She even had candy pieces in her hair."

The boss swivels around to glare out the glass wall. For a long time, there's only silence.

"Sir?"

"Find Stephen. Use Litwak if you have to, but find Stephen and bring him back here." He cracks his knuckles as he turns back around, rage in his pale eyes. "And bring me that Vanellope look-alike, 'Penelope.'" He sneers as he says her name. "If she did cross over, then that means it's time for us to." He waves his hand to dismiss the businessman, but then says, "Oh, and make sure you find evidence, even the smallest thing, with which we can order Litwak's arcade shut down."

"What if there's nothing to find?"

"Then plant some."

The businessman's heart thumps. "But, sir, that's illegal."

He jumps when the boss slams his hand on the huge desk. "I don't care! I've waited more than three decades for this, and I'm not going to let anything get in my way!" After cussing out the businessman, he sends him away with a warning: find a way to close the arcade, or lose more than his job.

Keeping his eyes focused ahead of him, the business lawyer nearly jogs to the elevator, so eager is he to get away from the harsh CEO. He presses a button and steps inside the elevator. As it lowers itself to the lobby, he muses over the legal implications of the boss' orders. He understands the bitterness the boss must feel even after all these years, and he knows he's had to do some shady things for them to come this far.

But planting evidence? Framing an innocent man? Memories of the last time he planted evidence flood his mind, and guilt rises in him as the doors open and he steps out into the lobby. He promised himself he would never do that again, no matter the circumstance.

**A/N: Last chapter's phrase was "Safe and Sound." Congrats to DMysterious for getting that right! :) There's no phrase this chapter, but instead I'm giving you a fun fact: One of my favorite movies, "Penelope," has a character who has a trait she has to learn to accept and who has a relative named Ralph. Vanellope also has a trait she needs to learn to control and has a friend named Ralph. Plus, both stories include short sidekicks: one sour and green, the other grouchy. lol**


	12. The Glitch

"Don't touch that!" Surge yells, grabbing Hannah's shoulder and yanking her away from one of the lights in the archiving code. When she straightens her glasses and glares, he says, "Messing with the archiving code can result in bad consequences."

"I'd listen to him, my dear," King Candy says, wincing as he remembers the last time he was here. He shudders. "We don't want to do anything to hurt anyone or anything."

_Geez, what happened?_ Hannah wonders. Instead, she asks about the wire walls. After receiving the spiel from the surge protector, she says, "So, _this_ is the archiving code." She slowly spins in a circle, admiring the glowing wire walls and flashing, dashing, and solid lights. "Vanellope told me about this place, but I never expected it to be so...blue."

Ignoring this comment, the surge protector walks into the middle of the room. "It's impressive in its ability to record everything that happens within the arcade. But..." He stares sadly at one of the wire walls.

"But what?" Hannah asks.

When Surge stays silent, Candy comes forward to lay a hand on his shoulder. "Please tell us," he says.

He turns around to look the king in the eye. "The arcade is supposed to record things that happen in the arcade, either events that take place during or after hours, or store memories of backstories and old games and characters that used to be here." He steps closer to one of the walls, gesturing to it. "But for about a month, it's been recording things that never occurred or have nothing to do with the games or people living in them."

"It's making stuff up?" Hannah says, peering at one of the blinking lights on the nearest wall. It says, "Markowski Brothers." "Hey, you never told me that Markowski had a brother."

"That's what I'm talking about." Tossing his clipboard onto the glass table in the center of the room, the surge protector comes over to stand next to Hannah, staring sadly at the blinking light. "He doesn't have a brother. And that 'memory'...no wonder he's been such a nervous wreck lately," he mutters.

Hannah looks back over her shoulder at Candy, and they exchange confused glances. "What are you talking about?" she asks. She points at the light. "How can that-"

"Don't!" Surge shouts, trying to knock Hannah's hand out of the way - unfortunately, he bonks her hand towards the light. She touches it.

"Ow!" Hannah quickly draws her burning hand in, cradling it lightly. "This gives 'Feel the Light' a whole new meaning." Before anyone can reply, a pixel ball forms in the center of the room. King Candy runs over to join them, so that he doesn't get stuck inside the ball, and all three of them watch the events on the ball showing Markowski trying to save the scientist, and supposed brother, Roger. All three stare in horror as the memory plays - and Dr. Brad's last words confuse everyone.

"What was that?" Hannah asks as the pixel ball dissipates, her voice cracking a little, and not just from the pain searing through her shocked hand.

"That," the surge protector says, adjusting his glasses, "is what I'm talking about. This isn't relevant to the game, and I don't-"

BEEP!

They turn around to see a new light flashing beside the brothers' - this one says, "Cy-Bug Experiments."

"That wasn't there before," Candy says, stepping closer.

"This is what I'm talking about," Surge says, frowning and crossing his arms. "Each new light I view just brings up more and more of these."

"Where's it coming from?"

Surge turns to the elderly man. "I'm not really sure. At first, I thought it had to do with something I saw of Kairi's backstory, but then all these lights started appearing, one after the other, none of them relating to Kairi - or each other - at all."

Hannah stares around at the many, many lights. "What do all of these have to do with Kairi?" she asks, backing away from the men. "Did she maybe do something that - _**AAAUGHH!**_"

"Hannah!" King Candy screams, watching Hannah being shocked by the wire wall she backed into. She crumples to the ground, some of her hair sticking up and her clothes smoking a little. Before Candy can tend to the unconscious girl, another pixel ball forms in the center of the room. The men watch as an image forms inside the ball. It takes them a moment to realize it's Wreck-It Ralph sitting inside a house.

They exchange glances as a doorbell rings somewhere. Ralph looks up from the comics section of the newspaper. Giving the door a quizzical look, he folds his paper and sets it on the small table next to him, standing up and making his way to the door. He opens the door to reveal Vanellope, her hoodie and skirt all frumpled. "Can I help you, kid?" Ralph says.

"Wow, you're huge," she says, tilting her head back so she can see Ralph's eyes.

Which narrow at her comment. "Did you just come here to put me down? 'Cause I get enough of that from the people who live around here."

"Nah, I just got lost and this was the first house I came to." When nothing happens for a minute, she adds, "Can I come in?"

"Um, sure," Ralph says, a little unsure. As he holds the door open for her to march through, he peeks out the door. "Where are your parents?"

"I don't remember," Vanellope says, climbing into the chair Ralph had just vacated.

"Sweetheart," Candy mumbles, unable to take his eyes off the scene.

"The last thing I remember is waking up outside a forest with a note saying to head to the nearest town for help." She pulls a piece of paper out of her hoodie pouch and smooths it out, handing it to Ralph, who takes it. The little racer regards the giant with her hands in her pouch, tapping the toes of her boots together.

Ralph's brow furrows as he reads, his eyes shifting from the page to Vanellope, then back down at the paper, then back to her. "Hey, kid, what was this forest like?" he asks.

"I told ya, I don't remember any of that," she says, putting one of her hoodie's licorice strings in her mouth and chewing on it. "Man, does your bad breath affect your hearing, too?" Chuckle.

Ralph glares at this intruder. "Look, kid, I don't know who you think you are-"

"I'm Vanellope. At least, I think so." She pulls out a cookie necklace from under her hoodie, showing it to the wrecker. "See? It says, 'Happy Birthday, Vanellope! Love, Your Father.'"

Surge glances at Candy, but the king seems just as surprised as he. No arcadian has a birthday, only a game anniversary.

Ralph comes over and examines the necklace. He frowns. "Um, hey, kid - uh, Vanellope, wanna come with me for a second?"

"Where are we going?" she asks, tucking her necklace back under her hoodie.

Turning towards the door, Ralph crumples the paper in his hand and says, "We're gonna see an old friend of mine. Felix, Junior."

"Why?" Vanellope hops off the chair, skipping behind him.

He shuts the door behind her, and he turns down a dirt street. "Uh, just 'cause." He gazes down at her, then at the fist curled around the note as they walk.

The image fades, the pixel ball dissipating. "Your Majesty," the surge protector says, "did you ever give Vanellope a cookie necklace?"

"No," he replies. "But she gave me one." He withdraws it from his pants pocket: a cookie necklace with red frosting and white letters saying "To Puffy-Pants" on one side, and light purple frosting with "Welcome Back, Dad" in white on the other. He smiles sadly, his eyes starting to glisten.

Behind them, Hannah moans, still unconscious. The whole room is filled with more beeps and buzzes as dozens more bright lights flash and whir across. Surge frowns. "Just my luck," he mumbles, snatching his clipboard off the glass table and seriously considering banging his face with it. "The day the human arrives is the day my archiving code goes berserk."

King Candy bends down next to Hannah. "You don't think Hannah's behind the glitch in the system, do you?"

"Attention," declares a male voice from nowhere. "The arcade is about to open."

"We'll have to figure this out later," Surge says. He steps up to a wire wall and taps a few lights. "I'm sending you, Hannah, and your kart back to Sugar Rush and we'll deal with this when the arcade closes or the girl wakes up. Whichever happens first." He regards the old man. "In the meantime, keep her away from others, and pretend everything's normal. Don't tell anyone about the glitch!"

Candy opens his mouth to speak, but a bright light surrounds him and Hannah. When it dims away, he recognizes the starting line for Sugar Rush. "Your Majesty!" Citrusella cries out, running over to him. Soon, all the racers and some citizens surround their king, asking him what the surge protector wanted, what happened to Hannah, is he going to race.

All these questions overwhelm the poor man, and all he can do is stare at Hannah. _What should I tell them?_ _Vanellope usually handles the crowds._ Inhaling deeply, he holds up a hand, and the whole arena shushes. "I have spoken with the surge protector," he begins slowly. "He says that everything is fine." He offers a little smile.

"Are you sure?" Gloyd asks, crossing his arms.

"What happened to Hannah?" Sticky asks, pointing at the blonde girl.

"Um, well, she..." Should he tell them she bumped into the wire walls, or is this something he should keep secret?

"Quarter alert! Quarter alert!"

Eight of the racers sprint for the room where the gamer will choose one of them. Candy sees his chance to get Hannah out of here. Scooping her up in his arms, Tori taps him on the shoulder. "Uh, sir, you're supposed to race today."

_Oh, fudge!_ "You'll have to take my place, my dear," he says, carrying Hannah to his kart and laying her inside.

"Really?" she says, her eyes wide.

"Yes. Now, hurry!"

Scurrying as fast as she can to the choosing room, Candy climbs into his kart and slams his foot down on the gas pedal, leaving a trail of sugary dust in his wake as he races to Sugar Palace.

Swizzle watches the king drive away, his arms crossed. He knows that Candy is keeping something from all of them. Since he's not one of the nine racers today, he figures he can leave the races just this once to get the dirt. Hopping into his trusty Tongue Twister, he burns rubber as he follows the purple-and-yellow kart up to the palace.

**A/N: Last chapter, I gave you the fun fact about the movie "Penelope." This chapter, we resume the phrase game. :) This chapter's hint: a Jennifer Lopez song that was featured in "Home."**

**Good luck, and see y'all next chapter!**


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